Romeo and Juliet

The Choice of Family or Love

Romeo and Juliet is a tragic play that conveys the importance of choices made because of true love. One of the major choices, which is also a theme, it is the decision of choosing family or true love. During William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet make choices that lead up to them ending their lives. During this play Romeo and Juliet, the children of feuding families (the Capulets and Montagues), fall in love and are forced to chose between their families or true love. After they meet at the ball, Romeo makes the choice to trespass on Capulet property to see Juliet again. Shortly after they agree to go and be married. Juliet, who was supposed to marry County Paris but is now secretly married to Romeo, makes the decision to pretend to die so she will not have to marry Paris and can run away with Romeo. Romeo and Juliet make choices that favor each other over love their own lives.

The first choice leading to death is Romeo sneaking onto Capulet property to see Juliet after the ball. This choice signifies Romeo’s rebellion on his family because he trespasses on his family’s enemy’s property to see their daughter. Neither Romeo nor Juliet care that their families are enemies for Juliet says, “Tis but thy name that is my enemy. / Thou art thyself, though not a Monague. / What’s Monague? It is nor hand, nor foot, / nor arm, nor face, nor any other part / Belonging to a man…That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet” (Shakespeare 2.2.40-44) to which Romeo replies, “I take thee at thy word. / Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptized; / Henceforth I never will be called Romeo” (Shakespeare 2.2.49-51). Juliet makes a truthful opinion when she says that Montague is just a name and that Romeo, or any other person, is more than a just name. She also states that a name does not describe a person’s personality or appearance; that a name does not change who a person truly is. Romeo is in love and...