Would Romeo Make a Good Husband?

Romeo and Juliet is a worldwide famous play written by William Shakespeare.   The play is a tragedy about a pair of star-crossed lovers, Romeo Capulet and Juliet Montague and because of their quick death no one is ever able to fully find out whether Romeo would have made a good husband or not. Although he had many good qualities of a good partner he also lacked many. Romeo was too haste in every decision he made throughout the story, his love was superficial, and he was also not really in love, but like most teens his age he was only a petrarchan lover.

Romeo’s haste decision making and fickleness are one of the reasons he wouldn’t make a good husband. Romeo’s love for Juliet was so sudden that one would question about whether it was really love or just filling the hole in his heart that his unrequited love for Rosaline had caused. When Romeo first sees Juliet one of the first things he says is “Did my heart love till now?” (I 5 51) which is very questionable because he did love till now and was doing nothing but grieving over his unrequited love for Rosaline, but because of his sudden change in heart he doesn’t seem to think so. Romeo is so quick to marry Juliet after he finds out that she also harbours the same feelings as him, that he right away turns to the Friar Laurence so, he can marry them. “Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast” (II 3 97) is the Friar Laurence’s advice to Romeo after he agrees to marry him to Juliet. The Friar Laurence knows that their love will stumble if it’s going too fast.

Romeo’s love for Juliet and Rosaline were never really love, but infatuations.   Throughout the play when he spoke of Rosaline he only spoke of her beautiful face and body and never of her personality. This shows that Romeo’s “love then lies not truly in [his heart], but in [his] eyes. (II 3 69) His love for Juliet was also the same, when he first lays his eyes on Juliet he asks himself “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight. For I never saw true...