what is romeo's fear

Romeo's fear in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" centers around the consequences and fate tied to his love for Juliet, particularly given the intense and violent feud between their families, the Montagues and Capulets. He fears that their love, being forbidden and dangerous, will bring about tragic consequences. Specifically, he expresses dread over a "some consequence, yet hanging in the stars," which suggests a feeling of foreboding and inevitability—he senses that a negative, possibly fatal event is destined to happen as a result of their union. This line reflects the belief in fate or destiny controlled by the stars, indicating that Romeo feels helpless against forces beyond his control. His greatest fear is separation from Juliet and the devastating impact of his banishment from Verona following the killing of Tybalt. Romeo sees exile as worse than death because it means being apart from Juliet, which to him is a miserable and unbearable fate. Throughout the play, Romeo's fear drives impulsive and extreme actions, influenced by the looming threat of their families' feud and the sense of an unavoidable tragic destiny.