Romeo is also quick to act in his violent actions towards Tybalt, which gets him banished as a result. Although he attempts to make peace with Tybalt initially, Romeo succumbs to his hot-headedness and, coupled with ill fortune, momentarily forgets the Prince’s threats and the fact that Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin. He acts in the heat of the moment and kills Tybalt, later blaming his haste on the irresistible power of fate by remarking that he is “fortune’s fool” (3,3).
Another aspect of Romeo’s rashness is seen when he does not question the credibility of Balthasar’s news and simply assumes that Juliet is indeed dead. He hurriedly goes on to prepare his suicide, that is buying poison at an apothecary’s, even though Balthasar suitably says that his “looks are pale and wild” (5,1). This further emphasizes Romeo’s flurried state of mind that makes him inclined to impulsiveness. The haste spoken of by Juliet is thus reflected in Romeo’s rash actions and the play as a whole and is an important driving force in advancing the tragedy.
On the other hand, Juliet acknowledges that she and Romeo are too reckless in their relationship but the power of their love overrides her voice of caution on various instances. One such example is when she decides to go with the Friar’s plan of taking a sleeping draught to avoid marrying Paris. She agrees to this plan almost immediately after the Friar suggests it. Whilst she is aware of the dangers of acting impetuously, Juliet has no qualms about proceeding with his plan, fraught with risks, if it allows her to be with Romeo. She also says to the Friar, “O tell me not of fear” (4,1). Her desperation and love for Romeo has as such caused her to disregard any misgivings of their secret love and brash marriage. Juliet’s final act of impulsivity completely contradicts her initial fears of acting in haste and these rash decisions therefore apply to the play to a large extent.
The Friar, appearing as a respectable and well-meaning ally of Romeo and Juliet, relates to Juliet’s words when he puts forward ill-considered and over-ambitious solutions to the lovers’ problems. It is his hurriedly conceived plans that go wrong and this is largely responsible for the final tragedy. Firstly, the Friar marries the lovers in the optimistic hope of reconciling their feuding families, that it will “turn your [their] households’ rancour to pure love” (2,3). However, this was decided hastily and as a result served as a pathway for the impending double suicide. The Friar was also rash in presenting Juliet with the sleeping potion without considering other less risky alternatives. It is his quickness in deciding on these resolutions for the lovers that helps to carry the theme of passing time in the whole play.
“Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.” (2,6) Aptly remarked by the Friar, he warns Romeo and Juliet not to rush into things and this is true in many occasions in the play resulting from these characters’ haste. As seen from Romeo’s rashness, Juliet defying caution in her love for Romeo and the Friar’s unsound plans, haste is evident throughout the play and therefore Juliet’s words apply to a large extent.
