Romeo And Juliet's Mistakes

"The blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet ultimately rests with Friar Laurence." Do you agree?

Blame for the tragic outcome in this tale does not rest with one person alone. Friar Laurence’s mistakes complicate the issue and he is partially at fault for the deaths of the two lovers. Romeo and Juliet’s decision to act upon their love too quickly is also a significant factor in their tragic ends. Juliet’s parents contribute because they made the lives of the teenagers very difficult and pushed her to make impulsive decisions.

Friar Laurence played a significant role leading to the death of Romeo and Juliet. He believed that marrying the couple would solve the feud between the two houses; “In one respect I’ll assistant be: For this alliance

may so happy prove To turn your households’ rancour to pure love.” However, this lead to the street fight between Mercurtio and Tybalt and Romeo’s eventual banishment. His second mistake was the plan to fake Juliet’s death to stop her from marrying Paris. Perhaps he could have suggested the lovers flee Verona rather than entrusting an unstable 14 year old girl with a potion of that strength: “If, rather than to marry County Paris, Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself,….I'll give thee remedy….Take thou this vial” Romeos grief at Juliets apparent suicide after taking the potion was the catalyst for his decision to take his life. Laurence should have emphasised to Friar John the importance of the content of the the letter to Romeo was or he should have delivered the letter himself. Leaving Juliet unsupervised in the tomb in her state of grief and his feeble attempt to persuade her to leave before running away himself were indicative of his failure in his duty of pastoral care. ; “Stay not to question, for the Watch is coming; come, go, good Juliet, I dare not longer stay.”

Romeo and Juliet must take some responsibility for their own actions.

They chose to marry less than 24 hours after they met : (Romeo) “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” Love at first sight doesn't imply weddings at first sight. Marriage for most people is a life long commitment requiring long and careful consideration. Keeping their love a secret was a major factor in the outcome of this affair. Confession may have led to banishment for both parties and ultimately a good outcome as they could live happily together. This would have also prevented Juliet’s parents from making her marry Count Paris, and avoid them thinking she was ungrateful: (Lord Capulet) “Doth she not count her blest, Unworthy as she is, that we have wrought so worthy of a gentleman to be her bride?” Friar Laurence may be blamed for his plan, but fundamentally it was Juliet’s choice to accept the idea of the sleeping potion and she went to the Friar for help. It is difficult for blame to be placed on others when it was Romeo and Juliet’s decision to take their own lives. Romeo’s quick action to kill himself with poison and Juliet’s death by Romeo’s dagger, were typical of their impulsive behaviours; “(Romeo) O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die,” “ (Juliet) O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me

die.”

Juliet’s parents are not free of blame in this tale. The controlling nature of Lord and Lady Capulet was evident in a number of ways. Juliet is unable to communicate her true feelings to them. Her social life is limited with her only friend being the Nurse and they want to and chose her husband. They first suggest that she inspects Paris at the Capulet gathering: (Lady Capulet) “What say you? can you love the gentleman? This night you shall behold him at our feast….Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?.” They lack empathy with their daughter. She weeps over the banishment of Romeo and the death of her cousin Tybalt, and her parents decide to arrange the wedding with Paris in the same week. When Juliet begs them to accept that she is grateful and that she loves them but she doesn’t want to marry Paris, her parents threaten to disown her: (Lord Capulet) “..disobedient wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday, Or never after look me in the face.” If they were less forceful with her, Juliet might have even told them about Romeo. Juliet gave a hint to her parents about Romeo when she said: “I will not marry yet; and, when I do, I swear, It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, Rather than Paris.” Some may argue that the family feud is to blame for the tragedy, but ultimately our couple would have faced the same issues. Juliet’s parents desired her to marry Paris and gain a title which Romeo lacked. Lady Capulet referred to Paris as: “The gallant, young and noble gentleman”-

In conclusion, Friar Laurence is the not the sole cause of Romeo and Juliet’s death. He made many mistakes and failed in his ethical and moral responsibility to the couple. Juliet’s parent’s overbearing disposition made them unapproachable, and their threats to disown her if she didn’t marry Paris inevitably caused Juliet to make rushed decisions that led to her death. Our young lovers must also take some responsibility. They chose to hide their love, act too quickly, and in the end, they chose to take their own lives. It can be said that it wasn’t a single individual person or decision but a combination of people and circumstances that lead to the star crossed lover’s demise.