Essay Who Is The Most Responsible For The Fate Of Romeo And Juliet

Who is most responsible for the doomed fate of Romeo & Juliet at the end of the play? Discuss.

William Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo & Juliet, portrays the tragic love of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Born into two fiercely opposed houses in Verona, the two "star-crossed lovers" secretly marry, but die shortly after, trying vainly to save Juliet from her arranged marriage. Though many factors cause the untimely deaths of the newlyweds, the most prominent factors include Tybalt, who is fiercely protective of his house of Capulet, and Friar Laurence who masterminds the fake death of Juliet. Ultimately, Mercutio is the one who unknowingly sends not only Romeo and Juliet, but also himself to the grave.

Tybalt’s fiercely loyal, and sometimes

aggressive nature is one of the main causes of the largest factor in the couple’s death, Mercutio’s murder. When Tybalt encounters the Montague’s on the streets of Verona, Tybalt sees it as an opportunity to exact revenge on Romeo for sneaking into the Capulet ball. As the two quarrel, Tybalt refer to Romeo as a “villain”. This highlights the theme of conflict between the houses and demonstrate how polarised Tybalt is towards his own house, and therefore, against the house of Montague. Furthermore, the connotations of the word suggest that Romeo is full of evil and hatred, the antagonist whom it is Tybalt’s responsibility to neutralise.

Friar Laurence’s willingness to appease the violence in Verona is a primary factor in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

The Friar is aware that a backlash could occur if the union is discovered as Juliet is already distrusted by her father who believes she is disobedient. However, he chooses to wed the couple in the hope that a successful marriage could reconcile the hatred between the families. Wishfully, he says that the “alliance may so prove to turn your households rancour to love.” The uncertainty of the word “may” points toward the theme of forbidden love, as their “alliance” could also cause further warring. Furthermore, “rancour” and “love” reinforce and foreshadowing the themes of hatred and reconciliation, respectively. Friar Laurence is also responsible for laying the plan to comatose Juliet in order to preserve their marriage and save her from Paris. Having to go to extreme lengths to ensure Juliet’s happiness reinforces the idea of forbidden love, especially considering she is so young and inexperienced. Though the Friars involvement in the suicides of Romeo and Juliet is indirect, his poor foresight is a large factor in their

deaths.

Trying to find Romeo happiness in his spell of depression, Mercutio sneaks Romeo into the Capulet ball and initiates the forbidden love.

This will eventually cause his own death, and then trigger the events that end the lovers’ lives. Mercutio is well meaning and unlike the audience, cannot foresee the tragic deaths about to unfold on his hands when he tells Romeo to "borrow Cupid's wings and soar above." The use of "soar above" can point toward the wheel of fortune, a common belief in Elizabethan England, suggesting that Romeo will rise out of his sadness and fly up to the top of the wheel in happiness, foreshadowing the love at first sight between Romeo & Juliet. Furthermore, the connotations of Cupid’s angelic appearance also reinforce the idea that Juliet is the pure beauty to save Romeo from his sorrow. Therefore, this innocuous scene is what causes the chain of events that lead to demise of the star-crossed

lovers.

The audience are aware that Romeo and Juliet are doomed from the start of the play, due to escalating conflict between Romeo’s house of Montague, and Juliet’s house of Capulet. The actions of Tybalt, Friar Laurence and Mercutio are the main causes of the downfall of the couple, as demonstrated through the themes of hatred, conflict and forbidden love.