Act II - Relationships

         There are many relationships that can be seen as good or bad in Romeo and Juliet, some more obvious than others. One of the less obvious 'good' relationship is Friar Laurence and Romeo.

         Other than Benvolio and Mercrutio, Friar Laurence is one of the few friends of Romeo that thinks of his overall well being.  When Romeo approaches Friar Laurence  and tells him about Juliet, he is in complete shock. But in a split second, he thinks of one solution that solves several problems. He decides to marry Juliet to Romeo, which can help two teenagers become happy, as well as help resolve the feud between the Montages and Capulets. However, deciding to marry two teenagers was incredibly risky, and ultamitley led to their demise. Not only  that, but when Romeo is exiled and Juliet comes to him for help, he could have ended the charade there. At this point, the marriage of Romeo and Juliet cannot resolve the conflict between the two families. Friar Laurence should have called it off, and dealt with Juliet a different way. But overall, Friar Laurence did not mean any serious harm, and was concentrated on keeping the teenagers happy.

           Another example of a positive relationship is Mercrucio and Romeo. Mercrucio, like Friar Laurence acts as an anchor. He pulls Romeo away from his own self-drama and tries to bring him back to reality. An example of this is at the middle of Act I, when he tried to get Romeo to forget about Rosaline and come join him at the Capulet party. Mercrucio acts as a friend, not as someone who is supposed to make all the right decisions for him. 

        Two negative relationships in Romeo and Juliet, ironically enough is Romeo and Juliet, and Lady Capulet and Capulet. 

         The relationship between Capulet and Juliet would almost be completely  negative in all views. Capulet acts like a stereotypical abusive father, as well as husband. Although Capulet personally told Paris Juliet was to young for marriage, he quickly changes his mind once Juliet shows independence. He forces her to marry Paris, even with the negative reactions from not only Juliet, but Lady Capulet as well. Capulet's decision drove Juliet to see Friar Laurence, and feign her own death for the sake of Romeo.
        Finally, the last overall negative relationship is Romeo and Juliet. Although the two teenagers claim that they are in love, I highly doubt that either of them thoroughly thought about their relationship, and I definitely dont think 'fate' put them together. I believe they are just careless teenagers, who found each other by complete chance. They have a toxic relationship, toxic to the point that they were willing to put an end to there own lives for the sake of others. Not only that, but they completely overlook their friends and family for the sake of their relationship. Romeo and Juliet are both teenagers that easily get carried away, and they honestly should not be together.