The wedding that occurs at the end of Act II of this
excellent tragedy seems to have definite consequences that are unfortunately wholly
negative for both Romeo and Juliet. Of course, the irony of this wedding, of which the
Friar has such high hopes, is that it actually makes the situation that both Romeo and
Juliet separately face more complex than helping to alleviate the tension between their
two houses. For us as an audience, our biggest question is why on earth was this wedding
kept secret? If they had declared what they would have done, the ensuing tragedy could
have been averted. However, at the same time, if we look at Act II scene 6, we can see
how the wedding ties in with the overall theme of fate and destiny in the play. Note the
way that Romeo almost challenges fate to do its
worst:
Do
thou but close our hands with holy words,Then
love-devouring death do what he dare--It is enough I may
but call her mine.
Of course,
"love-devouring death" does take up this challenge and perhaps make Romeo regret his
words.
Let us note, however, the way that this feeds into
the complexities of the plot. Firstly, the marriage to Juliet means that Romeo does not
attack Tybalt yet tries to pacify him in Act III scene 1, which of course provokes
Mercutio to attack Tybalt on Romeo's behalf. Mercutio's murder then triggers Romeo's
killing of Tybalt. Juliet is not free from the impact of their marriage either, as Act
III scene 5 shows, when she is told in no uncertain terms that she must marry Paris,
when she is already secretly married. This of course triggers her visit to the Friar and
his plan to somehow wrestle a happy ending out of these
circumstances.
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