Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy about two star crossed lovers whose love cannot apart them from their two feuding families. In this essay I will state who or what are responsible for their deaths, the main theme of the story is hatred and fate. Firstly I must introduce the two families because their attitude of hatred is responsible for the deaths mainly because if they hadnt quarrelled then maybe Romeo and Juliet wouldnt have got married in secret.
Resulting in the feud all the members perpetuated the feud this is illustrated by Tybalt from the Capulet family, Juliets cousin, he started the fight that resulted in Romeo getting banished and he was always causing trouble. He more than any one else in the story kept hatred alive between the two families because of his violence. I also blame Lord and Lady Capulet, Juliets parents because they should have paid more attention to Juliets wishes when she refused to marry Paris.
At first they threatened to throw her out onto the streets as in Act three Scene 5 Capulet says to Juliet Thursday is near lay hand on heart and you be mine, Ill give you to my friend, and you to be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets. Lady Capulet also put her daughter in the care of the Nurse who raised Juliet as her surrogate daughter. The Nurse being a blabbermouth out spoken person was also responsible for the death of Juliet. She never acknowledged that maybe Juliet wasnt ready for this immense step in her life from an on looker guardian.
In Act two-Scene four the Nurse warns Romeo to be true to Juliet and she explains there is another man after her Paris she compares the two. She says to Romeo that her Juliet is sweet well sir my mistress is sweetest lady, lord o there is a noble man in town Paris. She encouraged Juliet in her romance with Romeo because the action of her being a blabber mouth is that she carried the messages of a secret meeting of where she knew that they where going to spend a night of passion together in Act three Scene two she says to Juliet hie to your chamber Ill find Romeo to comfort you hark ye, your Romeo will be here all night
She advised Juliet to marry Paris, knowing she was already married to Romeo. I also blame Friar Lawrence who was the person that took these newly met lustful children into their marriage, since Romeo and Juliet where two children were married so soon and at a young age this made them unable to make theyre own decisions. This statement can be proved about Romeo because when he was banished he bellowed like a baby the Nurse had to make young Romeo act like a man just to think of Juliet instead of himself.
The main reason for Friar Lawrences decision to marry the two is wrong is because he thought this might help to make the two families stop fighting in Act two Scenes six Friar Lawrence says, till holy church incorporate two in one. In the end this was proven to be the motivation for the two children killing themselves he also gave Juliet the sleeping potion Act four Scene one take this vial, being in bed and this distilled liquor drink thou off. Now I must introduce The Prince ruler of Verona where the story is set. The Prince had the power to act to stop the feud between the two families.
It was unjustified of him to send Romeo away from Verona as a punishment for killing Tybalt when the fighting was Tybalt’s own fault for killing Mercutio in Act three Scene three he says hence from Verona art thou banished: taking thy part, hath rushd aside the law and turn’d that black word into banishment. Mercutio had an influence on Romeo because of his friend ship, Mercutio’s attitude to the quarrels and fighting made the situation worse. He saw the feud as a game and that attitude led him to his death and Romeos banishment.
Even though I am blaming certain people for the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet I have to consider that Romeo and Juliet had an affect on there own fates. Firstly, I will blame Romeo because he acted too hastily throughout the story and he was a romancer because the opening of the story he was in love with Rosoline then he fell for Juliet. He shouldnt have asked Juliet to marry him so suddenly, and he should have thought more carefully before rushing back to Verona after hearing of Juliets death. He also acted violently and without thinking when he killed Tybalt in revenge and then later the killing of Paris.
Now I will explain why I think Juliet was responsible for her own death Juliet of death and Romeos death to, I think she shouldnt have deceived and disobeyed her parents. Like Romeo, she was too rash in rushing into marriage. She knew she was already engaged to marry Paris at the time of the ball when she first met Romeo and until then she was very happy with her parents choice of Paris a wealthy bachelor. Before my conclusion can be stated I will have to introduce what I think are the main reasons for the deaths, which is fate.
Fate seemed to control their lives and force them together, becoming the ultimate controlling power in this play even if it is not recognised however in the prologue there is a chosen identity of starts a pair star-crossed lovers. A large part of the beliefs for both Romeo and Juliet involved fate, they believed in the stars and that their actions were not always there own, Romeo for example scene 1 act 4 says some consequence yet hanging in the stars. by some vile forfeit of untimely death. But hath the steerage over my course direct sail.
He is simply saying to his friends he had a dream, which lead him to believe that he will die young because of something in the stars, something that will happen. The only instance of fate managed to direct Romeo into its web like a spider. There is another instance of strong fate where an illiterate servant of the Capulets was sent to invite people to the ball; in Act one Scene two I can never find what names I must to be learned, Romeo saw this list with Rosalines name on it, which got Romeo and his friends to the ball.
When he got to the ball Romeo was memorised by Juliet, and she was simply memorised by him. They later realise their identity, but they are in love and wont let their names get in the way of their strong emotions. If fate didnt put them together then what or who did? What are the chances of all that happening a million to one so thats why I have come to my conclusion that the main reason for what is to blame for the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet is the fate.