Bad Decisions in Life

Consequences of bad decisions The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and the myth The Love Story of Pyramus and Thisbe by Ovid, retold by Edith Hamilton are closely related with Jena Salon: Bad decisions. The play, the myth talk about two young lovers who are willing to be together no matter the consequences, while Jena Salon: Bad decision talks about two sisters wanting the legacy of survival. Since both the play and the myth are closely related we are able to identify the similarities between the play and the myth and also show how the article relates to both the myth and the play.

In the play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet makes quite a decisions when they decide to get married without them thinking, “If that thy bent of love be honorable, Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow” (Shakespeare 2.2143-145). They are getting married after one day of knowing each other, blinded by the love they have for each other, they were nevering thinking about what will happen if their families find out. This is a bad decision because they never thought this through and knowing their families are from feuding families. These decisions lead them to doing anything for each other because they love each other and they continue to lead themselves to their downfall. Another example of them Romeo and Juliet taking bad decisions is when Romeo decides to commit suicide because Juliet who he believes to be dead, which is actually not dead, “Here’s to my love! O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die” (5.3.119-120). Just because Romeo is impatient he drives himself into making a bad decision to end his life. Instead of waiting to see what will happen or continued living without Juliet, he rashly decides he cannot go on living. A finally example of Romeo and Juliet making bad decisions when she wakes up and realises Romeo is dead, she says, “ What’s here? A cup, closed in my true love’s hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end. O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop To help me after? I will kiss thy lips. Haply some poison yet doth hang on tem To make me die with a restorative (5.3.161-166). Juliet also acts rashly just the same way Romeo acted, she doesn’t think of another way but she thinks committing suicide is the best way. She decides killing herself is the only way out and makes a bad decision by ending her life.

Despite the explanation on Romeo and Juliet making bad decisions, there is another story which is a myth, as the same similarities as Romeo and Juliet, the myth is, The Love Story of Pyramus and Thisbe retold by Edith Hamilton, both Pyramus and Thisbe made bad decisions of killing themselves and also having a relationship when both their parents are feuding. Pyramus and Thisbe both know their families are feuding and decided to disobey their parents and ignore the consequences that would com after since they both talk to one another through a hole in a wall, “Pyramus and Thisbe communicated through this crack when it was risky to see one another”(Edith Hamilton). Though they are both forbidden to not see each other they still attempt to find a way for them to communicate, their parents are unaware of the affair going on because they are bitterly opposed to them being in a relationship or just being friends for reasons unexplained. Pyramus kills himself because he sees Thisbe cloak filled with blood but he didn’t even venture to look for her, when he says, “you shall drink my blood too”(Edith Hamilton). This is shows that Pyramus couldn’t accept the fact that his one and only love is dead(well she is not actually dead she went into hiding), so he decides to kill himself .This wouldn’t have happened if Pyramus had thought about looking for Thisbe and probably made a good choice. Thisbe also those the same and she decides to also kill herself, she says, “ Your own hand killed you, and your love for me. I too can be brave. I too can love” (Edith Hamilton). Thisbe is also making a terrible mistake by thinking killing herself is the only way and also thinking there is no other person to love apart from Pyramus since she was deeply in love with Pyramus and thought the worse that could happen is their parents finding out they are in a relationship. 

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