The blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet rest ultimately with Friar Lawrence. Do you agree? Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was a tragedy about two lovers whose destiny resided death. The passing of the “star-crossed” lovers is partly the fault of Friar Lawrence, whose actions result in the tragedy. After Juliet was in a desperate state of mind, the friar proposed an undeniably flawed plan, and also failing to notify Romeo of said plan, thus leading to Romeo’s death.
If he never went to go see her then they wouldn’t have gotten married, and they would both be alive. Also, Romeo bought the poison from the Apothecary, without taking the time to think things thorough, just because he was told Juliet was allegedly “dead.” “I do beseech you, sir, have patience. Your looks are pale and wild and do import Some misadventure.”(5.1.27-29) Even Balthasar tried to talk some common sense into him, but Romeo wouldn’t listen to him. Furthermore, he killed himself, and it wasn’t because he didn’t have another choice. In the end when it came to the decision of killing himself Romeo was the one who chose to drink the poison.
Who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Firstly, I would blame Lord Capulet as he causes his own daughter's death by forcing Juliet to marry Paris only a few days after her cousin, Tybalt's, death. Juliet protests this marriage because she alone knows that she and Romeo have been secretly married. However, Lord Capulet refuses to listen to anything she has to say and threatens to throw her out of the house and out onto the streets. "And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets."
Upon further investigation, Friar Lawrence should receive the blame. Admittedly, Tybalt has a large influence on Romeo and Juliet’s death, because he caused the fight. Romeo tried to avoid it, but Mercutio joined in and started the fight and later Tybalt killed Mercutio. Romeo got mad and killed Tybalt and got exiled from Verona. However, Friar Lawrence is more responsible than Tybalt for the deaths of our “star cross’d lovers” because he allowed Romeo and Juliet marry and it caused Romeo to avoid the fight at first with Tybalt, than later tried to stop the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio and caused Mercutio to get killed by Tybalt.
Many, if not all, of the characters plays an ultimate role in their tragic deaths. These are the suspects I definitely think are to be blamed for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Tybalt from the Capulets had made one of the most dramatic effects upon Romeo and Juliet’s death. He had made himself this way because he was the one that caused Romeo’s banishment, if he would have just listened to his uncle lord Capulet and left Romeo alone, then Romeo wouldn’t be banished causing both Romeo and Juliet to suicide and also Mercutio and his self wouldn’t have died and just maybe the citizen of Verona would be intact and happy without any loved ones dead. He is the Father of the church, The High Priest of God but yet he was the many few who is another who made one of the dramatic effects upon Romeo and Juliet’s death.
Firstly, Friar Laurence married Romeo and Juliet knowing that their families hated each other and that it could end very poorly (Shakespeare 944-45). Friar knew this was a bad idea, but he continued with it and married the two. However, if he did not do this he would never be in trouble and Romeo and Juliet would then have to get married the ordinary way, thus, letting both families know. Next Friar decides to give Juliet a vial which will put her in a death-like state and sends a letter to Romeo about the plan, but it does not get to him (Shakespeare 993-1012). If Friar Laurence did not give Juliet the vial, Romeo would not kill himself because he thinks Juliet is dead.
The marriage was too rushed and secretive. The biggest thing Friar Lawrence did to cause all of the tragedy was when he agreed to give Juliet the sleeping potion. This caused Romeo to think she was dead, so he killed himself for her, and once she woke up and found he was
Fate is the prominent reason for the death of both Romeo and Juliet. In the prologue, they are illustrated as “A pair of star-crossed lovers” and later on their love is described as “death mark’d”. Right in the beginning, Shakespeare demonstrates that fate will bring them together, but it will also be the cause of their death. The play could have had a very different conclusion if some circumstances had been different. Perhaps the biggest determining factor of Romeo and Juliet’s demise was the fact that their families were feuding.
Her love for Romeo was filled with violence, showing that they were never meant to be together. Later, the Friar gave her a potion that would put her in a death-like sleep, so she and Romeo could meet and run away together. The time before she killed herself, she kept the idea of killing herself with the knife as a second option in case the potion did not work out. Her holding the knife first expressed that the potion would in fact not work, and she would kill herself. The knife was destined to be how she killed herself.
Laertes and Claudius had a plan of revenge to go after Hamlet for causing Laertes’ father death. At the end of the play while Laertes and Hamlet were fencing, Gertrude drank the poison which was suppose to be for Hamlet because it was part of Laertes and Claudius’ plan. Laertes got stabbed by Hamlet with the poison sword and Hamlet got stabbed as well but made sure he killed Claudius before dying. At the end everyone ended up dying just because plans of revenge did not turn out like they wanted. Other people suffered because of other people’s faults and mistakes.