Analyze how Romeo and Juliet are themselves responsible for their own their tragic deaths. Consider the advice that Friar Lawrence gives Romeo: "They stumble that run fast."

One of the overriding themes of this play is impulsive young love. Though Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most archetypal love story in the English language, it portrays only a very specific type of love: young, irrational, passionate love. In the play, Shakespeare ultimately suggests that the kind of love that Romeo and Juliet feel leads lovers to enact a selfish isolation from the world around them. In most of his work, Shakespeare was more interested in exploring the sparks of infatuation than long-term commitment. Considering that no other relationships in the play are as pure as that between Romeo and Juliet, though, it is easy to see that Shakespeare respects the power of such a youthful, passionate love but also laments the transience of it. The friar warns the young lovers that impulsive love is too rash and often stumbles over itself.