Who is to Blame in Romeo and Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona. They are two star crossed lovers from two different families who have been feuding for generations. This is apparent in the line “The quarrel is between our masters and us their men”. This demonstrates that the play is destined to result in tragedy. The effect that is created on the audience is that the families have been fighting constantly for many years and that it has been passed down from generations to generations. The Montague’s and Capulet’s ancestors were feuding and this fight has carried on over the years. Looking from a social context women were ruled over by men. Women were possessions or baggage. This relates to the play through Capulet and Juliet’s relationship. Capulet tells Juliet that she has to marry Paris this is shown by the line “I tell thee what, get thee to church a Thursday, or never after look me in the face”. This implies that Capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris because he is a wealthy and successful suitor and women got married very young in the Elizabethan Era. If Juliet didn’t obey he would just throw her out on the streets. This wouldn’t be surprising to an Elizabethan audience as women were treated very badly in the Elizabethan era.

A tragic event is something terrible that happens. It’s something that causes great distress and disaster. It causes suffering. Shakespearean tragedy is different as it has a theme to it. This theme could be anger, death, fear, love or relationships. There are many unfortunate events in the play.

At the beginning of the play the Prince of Verona gives the Capulet’s and Montague’s a severe warning. I know this because he says “By thee old Capulet, and Montague, have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets”. This...

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...uld have listened to Prince Escalus and stopped the fighting. Romeo and Juliet wouldn’t have come to such a tragic end to their life so soon if they would have listened to the Friar Lawrence and the nurse’s advice.

I think that the two families are to blame. I think this because by keeping Romeo and Juliet apart the tragedy was caused. The Montague’s and Capulet’s have been feuding for generations but they probably can’t even remember what they were fighting about. It is extremely wrong and unfair from keeping your son or daughter from being with the person they want to be with. This is exactly what the two families did and by doing this Romeo and Juliet’s lives were sacrificed because they needed to be together in some way.

Work Cited

Shakespeare, William. “Romeo and Juliet.” Literature and Language. Illinois: McDougal, Littell and Company, 1992.