Causes Of Romeo And Juliet's Death

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True love is worth dying for, according to Romeo and Juliet. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the young couple falls in love. Juliet is a Capulet, Romeo is a Montague, and the families are sworn enemies. In the end they both commit suicide because they can’t be with each other. The main causes of Romeo and Juliet’s death are the friar, their own emotions, and their feuding families. Friar Laurence and his lack of communication play a large role in the suicide of Romeo and Juliet. The friar told the messenger that couldn’t send the letter that, “The letter was not nice, but full of charge / Of dear import; and the neglecting it / may do much danger” (5.2.18-20). The friar was too slow in sending the letter of his plan to Romeo, who…show more content…
Romeo killed himself next to Juliet’s unconscious body: “Here’s to my love! O true apothecary! / Thy drugs are quick. Thus I die with a kiss” (5.3.119-120). Romeo is willing to die if he can’t be with Juliet, so he quickly kills himself, before he can learn that she is not dead. Juliet finds Romeo dead when she wakes up: “O happy dagger! / This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die” (5.3.169-170). Juliet would rather die than live with the pain of losing Romeo, so she kills herself without hesitation. When Romeo kills Tybalt he must run before the prince comes: “Romeo, away, be gone! / The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain” (3.1.134-135). After Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo overreacted and killed Tybalt, which led to his banishment, then Capulet accepting Paris’ proposal, then the friar’s plan, and finally Romeo and Juliet’s death. Romeo and Juliet are young and their emotions take over so they easily…show more content…
Romeo and Juliet are devastated that they love the enemy: “Prodigious birth of love it is to me, / That I must love a loathed enemy” (1.5.142-144). Romeo and Juliet are supposed to be enemies and are not allowed to see each other. Capulet threatens Juliet to rush her into marrying Paris: “And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the street, / For, by my soul, I’ll never acknowledge thee” (3.5.194-195). Capulet is harsh on Juliet to marry Paris but Juliet is already married so she feels like she needs to take drastic measures. The Prince tells the families his opinion when Romeo and Juliet are found dead: “Where be these enemies? Capulet, Montague, / See what a scourge is laid upon your hate” (5.3.291-292). In the end, even the Prince agrees that the families hate and constant pressure on their children killed them. The families they were born into want them to hate each other forcing Romeo and Juliet to do drastic things. The friar’s lack of communication, Romeo and Juliet’s emotions, and pressure from their families are responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare shows us that true love is more important than anything else, even family loyalties. He also shows us that love is blind and dangerous. Romeo and Juliet are born into very different families, but fall in love anyway. The actions they take to solve this problem
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