Free Will In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet, countless losses of loved ones were seen from both of the feuding families, the Capulets and Montagues. Many could say that fate was the cause of numerous deaths over the course of the play. However, free will is the main cause of these deaths. Every choice has resulted in different effects in the play. In this tragedy by William Shakespeare, multiple deaths occur due to the decisions made by Romeo, Friar Lawrence, and Lord Capulet. Romeo, a protagonist of the play and a member of the Montague family, directly and indirectly caused several deaths throughout the play. For example, Romeo was banished by Prince Escalus for killing Tybalt (3:1:190). He directly killed Tybalt and is partially at fault for…show more content…
He warned Romeo that “violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die, fire and powder, which as they kiss, consume.” (2:6:9-11). Friar Lawrence had a feeling that the quick and hasty decisions that were made would not end well. However, he continued on to marry them, believing that their marriage would stop their parents’ feud. In addition, Friar Lawrence gave Juliet the idea of faking her death and saying, “…take thou this vial, being then in bed…” (4:5:93). He suggested the plan of killing herself, which led to Romeo committing suicide due to the death of Juliet. Consequently, Juliet ended her life because of Romeo’s death. Friar Lawrence thought he was doing the best by marrying Romeo and Juliet. However, his good intentions became the reason of the deaths of multiple…show more content…
Lord Capulet was the one who allowed Romeo to stay at the Capulet party, where Romeo met Lord Capulet’s daughter, Juliet (1:5:64). He could have forced Romeo out of the party; therefore, he never would have met Juliet, and no one would have died for their love. Juliet would have married Paris without a reason to seek the Friar’s advice. In addition, Prince Escalus also “lost a brace of kinsmen” due to the feud between the Capulets and Montagues (5:3:294). Other families have suffered losses because of the feud between these two families that lasted for generations. Most of these deaths would never have occurred if the two families were not fighting. Furthermore, Friar Lawrence told Lord Capulet that Juliet sought advice to avoid the marriage to Paris without disobeying her father; she even threatened to kill herself in his chamber if the Friar refused to help (5:3:236-241). Lord Capulet should not have yelled or threatened Juliet over an arranged marriage to Paris. He pressured her into drinking the concoction out of desperation. Lord Capulet wanted the best for Juliet but ended up playing a role in her death along with several others as well. Hasty decisions and poor choices resulted in a tragic ending. Romeo, Friar Lawrence, and Lord Capulet all played a major role in the deaths throughout the story. They contributed in a domino effect where one wrong decision results in a chain of
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