who is responsible for romeo and juliet's death essay

Who is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death?

Table of Contents

Introduction

We, humans, tend to find the guilty parties for any situation in the world that goes not according to plan. For example, in the classic love story, “ Romeo and Juliet,” created by the genius William Shakespeare, the opinions of readers have divided as to whom to blame among Verona’s finest for the deaths of two young and innocent lovers.

While no one, in particular, attracts attention as the main evil to be blamed for everything that has happened in the story, there are still many arguments for and against various characters. The most hated figures are Friar Lawrence, Juliet’s Nurse, and even Romeo or Juliet, as the two impacted their future.

Any character you pick from the story has made even the slightest contribution to Romeo and Juliet’s death in one way or another. So who is the most guilty in Shakespear’s classics? In this essay, I will discuss the 3 characters and what their actions have contributed to the tragic ending of the love story.

The role of Romeo in his and Juliet’s deaths

The first character to blame is Romeo himself. To begin with, the whole story of Romeo and Juliet starts with Romeo and his gang sneaking into the Capulets’party uninvited. If they decided to keep to their business and not party at the enemy’s home, Romeo would have never laid his eyes on Juliet, and Tybalt would never have found out he was there. Moving on, the fact that Romeo decides to get revenge for Mercutio’s death by murdering Tybalt. Romeo should have been able to contain his rage and run away together with the love of his life. Instead, he got thrown out of Verona for his actions. Finally, Romeo makes a rushed decision to kill himself at the end of the story. Romeo could not overcome knowing that Juliet had died. Romeo should have paused and evaluated his decision to realize it was not the best plan to end his life at that point. The tragedy could have been avoided if Romeo had put more effort into making the decisions.

The contributions of Friar Lawrence to the tragedy of the lovers

Friar Lawrence is the second character who could be found guilty of the death of two young lovers. Friar Lawrence should be blamed because he marries Romeo and Juliet while well aware of the relationship between the two families. The man knows this marriage can impact lovers negatively. However, he disregards that he also could get in a lot of trouble if the families find out. Since Romeo and Juliet were married, their love grew stronger daily, enriching their bond. Another reason why Friar Lawrence is guilty is that he gives Juliet the sleeping potion. Unfortunately, the friar does not even consider the negative consequences of his actions.

The friar should have been more responsible with his plan. The last reason Friar Lawrence is wrong is that he could not make a servant deliver the news of Juliet’s death to Romeo. Instead, he could ask several servants at different periods or just go himself to ensure that his message reached Romeo. In conclusion, Friar Lawrence should have thought better throughout the story and could prevent the tragedy from happening.

How Tybalt’s temper played out in the story

The last character I would blame for Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy is Tybalt. First, Tybalt can be considered guilty because he took part in the fight at the beginning of the play, which once again contributed to the families’ hostility against each other. The vendetta between the two families would not have been so brutal if members of each family had opened the floor to negotiations and understanding. The next reason Tybalt can be blamed is that he sees Romeo at the Capulet party, gets furious, and turns to threaten to kill the son of Montague. If Tybalt had a heart and could see something apart from his anger, he would be able to understand that Romeo was harmless as all he wanted was a happily ever after with Juliet. The final reason Tybalt can be blamed for the lovers’ tragedy is that he murdered Mercutio. Killing Mercutio was a completely unnecessary step in this story, as it only worsened the case. Mercutio’s death made the city council banish Romeo from Verona, not allowing Romeo and Juliet to be together after they exchanged vows. Eventually, Tybalt should have been able to hold his temper and not be so cruel out of nowhere.

Summing up, people should care about who is guilty because no one should go unpunished for the wrongdoings that led to the death of Romeo and Juliet. At the end of the play, Prince Escalus states: “Some shall be pardoned and some punished.” Two young lovers cannot just die without anyone getting punished for influencing that decision. One’s death influences the lives of many people surrounding the deceased. The person who causes pain to family members should be punished for their harmful actions. Many characters in the play made wrong choices that ultimately led to the star-crossed lovers’ death. If the characters in the play had been more thoughtful, there would be no tragedy. No one would be guilty if there were no tragedy in the first place.

• Shakespeare, W. (1993). Romeo and Juliet. Dover Publications.
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Who is to Blame for Romeo and Juliet's Death

• Categories: Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare

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Published: Dec 16, 2021

Words: 1349 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

This essay examines the culpability of Juliet's parents in the tragic demise of the young lovers in William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." It underscores the critical influence of parental support and guidance in a teenager's life, highlighting the detrimental impact that lack of such support can have on a young person's mental health and future. Utilizing instances from the play, the essay pinpoints Lady Capulet's blatant disregard for Juliet's feelings and wishes regarding marriage, as well as Lord Capulet's impulsive and authoritarian demeanor as contributory factors to the tragic end. While societal norms and the longstanding feud between the Montagues and Capulets provide a hostile backdrop for the love story, the essay posits that a more supportive, understanding, and communicative parental approach could potentially have altered the tragic trajectory of Romeo and Juliet’s love story. Consequently, the parents’ lack of genuine emotional engagement and respect for Juliet’s autonomy are criticized as pivotal elements influencing the catastrophic conclusion.

Works Cited

• Shakespeare, W. (1597). Romeo and Juliet. In The Norton Shakespeare (3rd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 1127-1183). W.W. Norton & Company.
• Brinnin, M. (1988). The nervous system: The poetic parentage of Romeo and Juliet. The Kenyon Review, 10(1), 59-70.
• Corbett, M. (1997). Juliet's nurse and mothering in Romeo and Juliet. In N. Maslen (Ed.), Shakespeare and Women (pp. 99-116). Cambridge University Press.
• Westlund, J. K. (2009). The tragic compass of Juliet: Examining patterns of parental failure in Romeo and Juliet. Comparative Drama, 43(4), 433-454.
• Neely, C. T. (1993). Paternal discipline in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare Quarterly, 44(1), 25-42.
• Levenson, J. R. (2013). Families and households. In The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Tragedy (2nd ed., pp. 45-62). Cambridge University Press.
• Howard, J. E. (1989). Family and feudal law in Romeo and Juliet. In The Authority of Experience: Essays in Feminist Criticism (pp. 29-52). University of Massachusetts Press.
• Marcus, L. (2008). "What say you? Can you love the gentleman?": Maternal authority in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare Quarterly, 59(2), 127-152.
• Williams, J. M. (2011). Capulet masculinity and the politics of domestic authority in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare Studies, 39, 123-139.
• Lupton, J. (1996). Citizen Romeo: The politics of fatherhood in Romeo and Juliet. In Shakespeare and the Politics of Community (pp. 57-89). Cambridge University Press.

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Who is to blame for the death of Romeo & Juliet?

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Friar Lawrence Responsible For The Death Of Romeo And Juliet Essay Example

The choice between family and love is complicated but not as complicated as the choice between life and death. Romeo and Juliet is about two teenagers from feuding families that fall in love, they both are very emotional and willing to do anything for each other. Things get complicated when Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin and is banished from their city. The only two adults that know about their relationship are the nurse who is Juliet’s mentor and Friar Laurence who is Romeo’s mentor. When Juliet feels betrayed by the nurse Frair Laurence is left to pick up the pieces of their complicated and deadly marriage. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Friar Laurence is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death because he married the couple, he came up with the plan to reunite them, and he ran away from Juliet in the tomb.

Friar Laurence is most responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death because he is the one who married the couple even though he knew about the family feud. For example, Romeo explained how in love with Juliet he was even though he recently did the same thing with Rosaline. Friar Laurence expresses his concerns that he is moving too quickly and letting his emotions get the best of him; however, towards the end of their conversation, Friar Laurence becomes more lenient. Friar Laurence says, “In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; For this alliance may so happily prove To turn your household’s rancor to pure love.” (Shakespeare 2.3 90-92). Even after expressing concern that their relationship was moving too fast, he agrees to marry the couple. The main reason he expressed interest in their marriage is he hopes to lower the tension between the two families. He wasn’t focused on Romeo and Juliet’s well-being but rather on ending a feud between their families. Their marriage was the main conflict and everything went downhill after they were married. With the conflict that their marriage caused, Friar Laurence had to make many decisions and plans to overcome it and help guide Juliet.

Another reason Friar Laurence is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death is he came up with an elaborate plan to reunite Romeo and Juliet, without thinking through the consequences. Juliet goes to Friar Laurence for advice after hearing about her arranged marriage with Paris. The nurse has lost Juliets’ trust and Friar Laurence is the only other adult that knows about her situation. Friar Laurence comes up with an elaborate plan and as he is explaining it to Juliet he says, “Take thou this vial, being then in bed; And this distilled liquor drink thou off; When presently through all thy veins shall run a cold and drowsy humor;” (Shakespeare 4.1 93-96). Friar Laurence comes up with a plan that includes Juliet drinking a sleeping potion while she waits for Romeo to come and rescue her. The sleeping potion makes a person appear dead for around two days. Because he is the only one who knows she drank the potion it leads other people to think that she was dead. When Romeo heard about the news before Friar Laurence could inform him of the plan he was overcome with emotions. He travels to Verona and kills himself with poison next to Juliet in the tomb. Without the knowledge of the plan, Romeo’s emotions get the best of him and it leaves a heartbreak for Juliet to wake up to.

Furthermore, Friar Laurence is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death because he ran away from Juliet in the tomb instead of convincing her to go with him. Once Friar Laurence realizes that Romeo is not going to make it in time to rescue Juliet, he decides to go to the tomb and get Juliet to hide her until Romeo gets to Verona. Once he arrives at the tomb he discovers Romeo and Paris dead inside the tomb with Juliet. After Juliet wakes up and Friar Laurence explains the situation to her he says, “Stay not to question, for the watch is coming, Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay.” (Shakespeare 5.3 158-159). When Friar Laurence heard the watch coming he left Juliet alone in the tomb even after she woke up and realized her husband was dead. Friar Laurence knew that Juliet was not in a proper emotional state and that she had threatened suicide earlier in the play. He left her alone because he was scared he was going to get in trouble which meant no one was there to stop her from killing herself. Friar Laurence left Juliet alone in the tomb while she was in a fragile state which is one of many reasons he is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death.

Friar Laurence is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death because he encouraged rash decisions, didn’t think about the consequences of his actions and was selfish. Friar Laurence married the couple even though he knew Romeo was very emotional and did the same thing with Rosaline a couple of days earlier. He also came up with an elaborate plan to reunite the couple after Romeo got banished from Verona. Yet, he failed to notify Romeo which lead him to kill himself. Friar Laurence didn’t take into consideration Juliet or her feelings when he left only the fact that he was scared he would get blamed for the death of Paris and Romeo if he stayed. Romeo saw Friar Laurence as a person he trusted and looked up to, however in the time that Romeo was in a vulnerable position the person he trusted most betrayed him and the love of his life.

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The Death Of Romeo And Juliet: Who Is Responsible For The Death Of Romeo And Juliet

• Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Edited by Peter Holland, Penguin Books, 2015.
• Rose, Ivanna. “Who Is Responsible for the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.” Prezi.com, 11 June 2015, prezi.com/bqc-xnp5uwij/who-is-responsible-for-the-tragedy-of-romeo-and-juliet/. 

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