Discussion Topic
Hubris in Romeo and Juliet
Summary:
Hubris in "Romeo and Juliet" is primarily exhibited by the characters' excessive pride and defiance of fate. Romeo and Juliet's belief that their love can overcome the longstanding feud between their families and their disregard for the consequences of their secret marriage ultimately lead to their tragic downfall.
What is Romeo's hubris in Romeo and Juliet?
In classic Greek tragedy, the hero has a tragic flaw that brings him to his doom. The flaw is generally hubris, or stubborn pride. At first glance, Romeo doesn't seem especially proud. However, he is self-absorbed, which could be considered a type of pride. In the beginning of the play, he is moping around inconsolably because Rosaline doesn't love him. He refuses to consider his friend's analysis that he only loves Rosaline because he hasn't met anyone prettier yet. But, as it turns out, Romeo's friends know him well. As soon as he sets eyes on Juliet , he is consumed with his infatuation for her. She tries to slow him down during their first meeting, but he ignores her mild protests and manages to get two kisses. Later, when they speak on the balcony, Juliet again warns that they are being too "rash," but he starts planning...
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their wedding.Friar Lawrence warns him that he is moving too quickly, but again, he pays no heed. This unwillingness to take time to listen to others is a type of hubris.
The most tragic example of Romeo's hubris, however, occurs during the encounter with Tybalt. Although Romeo tries to break up the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt, after Mercutio is wounded, Romeo forgets his own advice to his friend. He makes this speech:
My very friend, hath got this mortal hurt
In my behalf. My reputation stained
With Tybalt’s slander—Tybalt, that an hour
Hath been my cousin! O sweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate
And in my temper softened valor’s steel.
Hubris is having too much pride or self-confidence, to the point of being blinded to the full picture of reality or to other people's points of view. Romeo's hubris comes from his youth. Like a typical adolescent, whatever is happening to him now is the most important thing in the universe, and whatever he is feeling now is what he believes he will be feeling forever. He acts out of the moment, whether the impulse is destructive or not. He is not one to stand back, consider, and take the longer view.
For example, when he is pining for Rosaline, he believes she is absolutely the only person in the world he could ever, possibly, be in love with. He resists going to Capulet's ball, stating no one could possibly replace Rosaline, until, after a short time there, he falls head over heels in love with Juliet. Then he has to marry Juliet right away, a day after meeting her. There is no waiting, no thinking this through. Likewise, when he returns to Verona to find Juliet dead, he doesn't stop to think. He believes the agony he is suffering at that moment will be his reality forever, and so, with full confidence that he is doing the right thing, he takes his life.
What is an example of Juliet's hubris in Romeo and Juliet?
Several of Juliet's quotes can be interpreted as containing hubris. I'll note a few below and then describe how they could represent the hubris of Juliet.
O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?Deny thy father and refuse thy name.Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
This quote by Juliet, which is spoken in the balcony scene, speaks of love's power. In a modern context, these words would likely not be viewed as hubris. In this scene, Juliet wonders why Romeo must be a Montague and expresses a wish that he would deny his family name—if he refuses, she vows that she would be willing to forget about being a Capulet. In short, these lines show that Juliet's love for Romeo appears to trump her obligations to her family. Today, this perspective would be viewed as normal, but this belief may have been construed as arrogant in the past. At the very least, Juliet would have been seen as demonstrating extreme and unusual self-centeredness in considering denying her family for a romantic love interest.
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,My love as deep; the more I give to thee,The more I have, for both are infinite.
This quote from Juliet appears to be romantic, but it could also be seen as containing hubris. Juliet is comparing her love to the natural properties of the world, suggesting that her love for Romeo is as infinite as the sea itself. While she may feel her words are in earnest, she is still a a thirteen-year-old girl who only met the object of her affection a few hours earlier. It's ultimately up to the audience to decide if Juliet is accurately describing the true depth of her love or whether she is slightly over-confident in her assessment of her feelings.
... when he shall die,Take him and cut him out in little stars,And he will make the face of heaven so fineThat all the world will be in love with night,And pay no worship to the garish sun.
Juliet continues to relate the love between her and Romeo to having fantastic, natural qualities. In modern society, this may not be viewed suspiciously, but classical, and more religious, societies might see this as a sign of hubris. To Juliet, the love between her and Romeo is not beneath the world and its gods; it is above it.