Friar Laurence: A Scapegoat for Romeo and Juliet's Death?

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“Was Friar Laurence ultimately to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?”

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy about two star-crossed lovers. Friar Laurence is usually blamed for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because he conspired with them before their deaths. However, Friar Laurence is not to take the ultimate blame for Romeo and Juliet's death because there is also the ancient grudge, Romeo, and Tybalt who played a bigger part in their death.

The ancient grudge between the two families prevented Romeo to confess his love openly to Juliet. Without a grudge there would not be hatred between the two families and Romeo could have confessed his love to Juliet openly. In the prologue Shakespeare describes the ancient grudge in a powerful way 'Two households, both alike in dignity... ancient grudge break to new mutiny... civil blood makes civil hands unclean.' (Page 1, prologue). This portrays that there is a lot of bad blood between two ‘alike’ families, which also shows the hatred between the families. Another example of the Grudge causing Romeo and Juliet's death is the death of Mercutio. 'Tybalt picks a quarrel with Mercutio and insults Romeo' …show more content…

Shakespeare created Tybalt to be arrogant, irrational and hot headed. This is shown at the Capulet’s party in Act 1, Scene V when Tybalt realises that Romeo is in their household, from the beginning he wants his head. ‘This by his voice, should be a Montague. Fetch my rapier.’ This shows how hot-headed Tybalt is. Another example of Tybalt being hot headed is when he murders Mercutio after saying ‘therefore turn and draw.’ He wanted to kill Romeo by any means possible, if Mercutio did not die first then Tybalt may have just killed Romeo. The death of Mercutio by Tybalts hands also resulted in the banishment of Romeo, which later on is a cause to why Juliet fakes suicide. Therefore Tybalt is more to blame than Friar Laurence

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