Shakespeare's characters show an incredible understanding of human nature. They are deep, multifacted, complex personalities full of the contradictions that are seen in people every day. Before studies in human development or psychology, Shakespeare understood that sons grieve for their deceased fathers and resent their mother's remarriage (Hamlet), that garrulous old men will be hurt and angered when a daughter refuses to pamper an ego with overblown professions of love (King Lear), and that young men show incredible restraint one minute only to lose it moments later (Romeo and Juliet). Many who study and comment on Shakespeare focus on the "fatal flaw" in his tragic heroes, reducing their rntire character to one deficiency in their natures. However, Shakespeare's characters show a depth and richness that goes beyond a single quality and brings them to life.

Romeo is one example of the complexity Shakespeare creates in his characters. He is a romantic youth subject to the contradictions common to and especially seen in young people. Deep melancholy is counterbalanced by euphoric highs; restraint and control in one moment is tossed aside the nes; some decisions are thought through, many others are not. Cewrtainly it is a moment of loss of control that brings about his exile and plays a large part in the events that follow, but that one moment does not define or make his character. Shakespeare breathed life into his characters and made them whole beings, rather than focusing on a single moment or quality of the character.

A character whose entire fate rested on a single fatal flaw would not show the range of emotions, motivations, or behaviors expressed by characters such as Romeo. When he is first met in the play, Romeo is melancholy and has been so for many days according to his father "Many a morning hath he there been seen, / With tears augmenting the fresh morning's dew, / Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs" (I.i.131-133). The source of his distress is soon revealed to be the lack of favor from a woman he loves. Yet a short time later he has found a new love and the source of his initial discomfiture is forgotten. Friar Lawrence pointedly notes the fickleness of young men's hearts when he responds to Romeo's declaration of new love, "Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! / Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, / So soon forsaken? Young men's love then lies / Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes." (II.iii.65-68).

The uncertainties, highs and lows of love are not the only emotions Romeo expresses. His rage is uncontrollable when Tybalt kills Mercutio in Scene I of Act III, and his grief shakes the heavens when he hears of Juliet's death and cried out, "Then I [defy] you stars!" (V.i.24). In between these two extremes there were moments of unease, uncertaintly, joy, determination, fear, regret, and many other emotions felt by men. There is even a moment of realization after his uncontrolled rage as resulted in Tybalt's death. In Romeo's cry, "O, I am fortune's fool!" (III.i.136) is the comprehension that he has jeopardized everything. Yet even in dispair he can listen to some manner of wisdom, so even in despair there was hope. None of these emotions were out of place, but instead were expressed quite appropriately to the situation surrounding them. Such an emotional range brings a character to life and makes him more real.

Romeo also shows a range of realistic behaviors. One gets the impression from most who discuss the fatal flaw that this flaw, this action or lack thereof which reveals something about the character's personality, is the defining attribute of that character. If this were true, then this particular flaw would be the basis of the character's entire behavior. Perhaps such a case can be argued for Hamlet, since his indecision was evident throughout the play. No such argument can really be made for Romeo however. He does show the impetuousness of youth, but it is not an overwhelming quality. If anything, he shows an inconsistency often associated with young people as they struggle to become adults, which includes brashness and acting without thought. This should not be considered a fatal flaw, but a part of growing up.

Under the right circumstances Romeo is able to plan his actions, or show self-discipline. He manages to plan his and Juliet's wedding and get all those required to be there in the right place at the right time. Today we would consider his marriage hasty, but at least Juliet felt she was in love with him. For all that Paris may have been considered an excellent match, she hardly knew him and felt nothing for him. Her marriage to Paris would have been just as hasty and without desire in it, so Romeo can hardly be faulted for taking the initiative. In doing so he did consider the many variables and people involved. It was he who came up with the suggestion that Juliet come to the chapel under the guise of going to confession. "Bid her devise / Some means to come to shrift this afternoon, / And there she shall at Friar Lawrence's cell / Be shriv'd and married" (II.iv.179-181).

Romeo also could show discipline and control. Tybalt went looking for him, itching for a fight, and unwilling to listen to peace. Despite the verbal abuse, the taunting and attempts to get him to fight, Romeo kept issuing for peace. His pleas went unanswered. He attempted to stop Mercutio and Tybalt, even stepping between them. The whole time he refused to let himself be drawn into the hate and anger, instead attempting to use the quiet words of peace to avoid conflict.

Then,

It is only when Tybalt actually kills Mercutio that Romeo loses control and gives way to rage. Few who witness the slaying of their best friend and who also had the means tto deal with the killer could let such a brutal act pass without a response. So even in this loss of control, Shakespeare shows an understanding of human nature.

Now Romeo is a young, new groom, his best friend has been murdered, and he has avenged that friend in a blind rage. He knows of the Prince's order, knows he has broken them, and knows he will be punished. His world in turmoil, he goes to the one person left who he thinks can help: Friar Lawrence. It shows a small amount of wisdom, no small amount of trust, for him to go to the Friar. But that teenage sense that all life has come to an end and total devastation is apparent in young Romeo too. "Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say "death"; / For exile hath more terror in his look, / Much more than death. Do not say "banishment"!" (III.iii.12-14). It took more convincing, but eventually the friar convinced Romeo to follow his advice.

But wisdom is a fleeting thins for young people. And in Romeo's case this is no surprise. He has been a "typical teenager" throughout the play. He starts off a depressed teenager on the rebound from a "scorned" love, so when he meets Juliet he isn;t over Rosalind. There is an emotional gap to be filled and he seizes on her to fill it, it just so happens she returns the sentiment and fuels his desire even more. With the typical inconsistency seen in young people who are between childhood and manhood, Romeo's control seen in the conflict with Tybalt is lost when love is involved. He gives himself over to his desire for Juliet despite knowing she is the daughter of his family's enemy and despite the fact that he knows his duty toward his family. As with most teenagers, it is his desires that take precedence in defiance of what he knows would be his family's wishes.

Shakespeare developed a full character in Romeo. He expresses a broad range of emotions and motivations that drive his behaviors. In fact, his behavior is very typical of a teenager, which he was despite the Rennaissance idea that a youngster of 12 or 13 was considered an adult. Social view doesn't change the fact that he was in a time of development that is full if physical and emotional turmoil. Romeo's behavior is very typical for this time in his life. No one quality or characteristic could really be said to be the defining one in his character, other than the fact that he was young.

Shakespeare did push the emotions and behaviors of his characters like Romeo to the extreme, more often than not taking them over the edge. He was able to manipulate the various aspects of human nature in situations that are believable. The fact that he is able to do this shows an understanding of human nature. In Romeo he used his understanding of those young people who were not children anymore but also are not yet adults. He did not focus on any one characteristic of these young people, but took the craziness of youth and used it all in this one young man. Romeo is a fully developed character that could be your next door neighbor. Even the suicide at the loss of his love is nothing really unusual, particularly in this day and age. It was an expression of that all-encompassing despair that young people feel often at the slightest loss. Ther is nothing here that could really be called a fatal flaw. Only a man struggling with the inner turmoil of youth and inexperience.


All quotes taken from The Riverside Shakespeare, Second Edition (MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1997).


Essay written November 24, 1998
grade: A