Examples Of Selfishness In Romeo And Juliet

In the play Romeo and Juliet, the reader is introduced to a teenage boy by the name of Romeo Montague. He is a starstruck lover of the Montague household. The reader finds out he is in love with a soon to be nun, Rosaline. Later he sees a beautiful girl of the Capulet household, Juliet, his family’s sworn enemy. Romeo later marries against his family’s feud, kills a man, and makes some very bad mistake. Romeo is seen throughout the the play as a selfish person, this can be seen by examining the killing of Tybalt, his absence from his family, and his rash decision making. One event in the play that made Romeo seem selfish is his banishment. The reason for Romeo’s banishment is that he killed Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. The reader can see this as a selfish act because of the Prince’s decree. The decree stated that the next person in the Montague or Capulet household to fight would receive the punishment of death. From what the reader witnesses in this scene Romeo’s decision is based on his honor not the decree. Romeo decides to fight Tybalt after the slaying of Romeo’s friend Mercutio. This piece of text found on page 787 indicate Romeo’s honor and …show more content…
Within these matter of days, Romeo managed to marry a girl, kill a man, receive banishment, commit suicide, all while only thinking about himself. Within these events Romeo’s selfishness is revealed. The reader’s eyes are opened to how he abandons his family, kills a man while trying to defend his honor, and some very rash decisions. Although Romeo and Juliet ended with many dead and many selfish decisions made by Romeo, his selfish personality and rash decisions guided the plot for the play. For example his rash decision to marry Juliet made the whole play possible and the killing of Tybalt added to the plays tragedies. With all things considered Romeo and Juliet would not be possible without Romeo’s selfish