Tragedy In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

There are many characters that Shakespeare has portrayed to the audience as being responsible for the tragedy.
Shakespeare must have wanted the audience to partially blame Romeo since, even after he found out that the relationship with Juliet would be difficult due to a strong rivalry between their families, he still continued to seek Juliet’s love. Romeo went back to Juliet after the dance where he confessed his love to Juliet. Romeo explains that he flew over the walls with wings of love to see Juliet;
“With love’s light wings did I o'erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out.”
This metaphor expresses that Romeo fell in love with Juliet so much that he had to come back. This gives the audience even more reason to blame

Romeo since Romeo should not have returned. Furthermore, Romeo rushed into secretly marrying Juliet, which further complicated things. After the marriage and Mercutio’s death, Romeo kills Tybalt – a member of the Capulet family and Juliet’s cousin. Romeo knows that this action will cause him much pain in the future since he exclaims after killing Tybalt:
“O, I am fortune’s fool!”
Before Romeo is banished, Romeo
After Romeo is banished, he is given the wrong information that Juliet is dead by Balthazar, Romeo’s servant. Consequently, Romeo goes to an Apothecary and buys poison to kill himself with.
From these scenes, Shakespeare might have wanted the audience to blame Balthazar for giving Romeo false information;
“Her body sleeps in Capels’ monument, and her immortal part with angels lives.”
Balthazar thought that Juliet was truly dead and he felt that it was his job to present the news to Romeo. This can be told since Balthazar says to Romeo; “O, pardon me for bringing these ill news, since you did leave it for my office, sir.”
If Romeo had not been given this news, then he would not have proceeded to buy poison since he would not have thought that Juliet was dead.
If Romeo had in fact received the right information about Friar Lawrence’s plan, then the tragedy might have been prevented. Shakespeare seemed to want the audience to also partially blame Friar Lawrence since Friar Lawrence could not successfully deliver the message to Romeo. Friar John came back to Friar Lawrence to inform him that the letter did not reach Romeo:
“I could not send it – here it is again –”
These words are truly tragic since the words sound very neutral and the importance of the letter seems to be somewhat forgotten through them.

The fact that the letter had been handed back to Friar Lawrence makes it feel even more so tragic since the letter is very far from where it should be so that it can prevent a disaster. The audience might also blame Friar Lawrence for the tragedy because he did not take further action to get the message sent to Romeo when it returned to him. Another fact that blames Friar Lawrence is that he was also the schemer of the plan to fake Juliet’s death;
“If, rather than to marry County Paris,thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, then is it likely thou wilt undertake a thing like death to chide away this shame, that copest with death himself to ’scape from it. And if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy.”
Friar Lawrence was trying to fix the problematic situation that they were in with a plan that could potentially bring Romeo and Juliet together again. This ‘remedy’, however, seemed to result in the suicides of the ‘star crossed lovers’. The comparison of ‘marrying County Paris’ and ‘undertaking a thing like death’ that Friar Lawrence gives shows his thinking. Friar Lawrence seemed to be convinced so much that Juliet must be with Romeo that he thought of a plan – any plan to get them together again. At the scene of Juliet mourning over Romeo, Friar Lawrence quickly enters the Capulet Monument, however, just as quickly, leaves the monument

with Juliet left alone with the dead body of Romeo;
“Stay not to question, for the watch is coming, come, go, good Juliet, I dare no longer stay”
This sentence portrays the betrayal of Friar Lawrence. Since ‘the watch was coming’ and Friar Lawrence’s involvement with Romeo and Juliet had resulted in Romeo’s death so far, Friar Lawrence ‘dared no longer say’ and fled from the scene. Shakespeare also seemed to want the audience to blame Friar Lawrence for the tragedy since Friar Lawrence married Romeo and Juliet in secret; thinking that their marriage would unite the two rivalled families;
“For this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your household’s rancour to pure love...”
In the end, the two families did unite, however not in love, but in sorrow and mourning. This makes Friar Lawrence’s words full of irony. Shakespeare seemed to want the audience to equally blame Friar Lawrence, the Nurse and Juliet for the fact that none of them told Lord or Lady Capulet of Romeo and Juliet’s love or of their marriage. If the Capulets had known of the marriage, they, most likely, would not have forced Juliet to marry Paris.
Shakespeare seemed to want the audience to partially also blame Lady and Lord Capulet since their arrogance of the fact that Juliet might already be involved in a situation had led them to forcefully arrange Juliet’s marriage with Paris;
“But fettle your fine joints 'gainst Thursday next to go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.”
This shows Capulets rage and portrays more of what sort of character he is. In this quote, Capulet threatens Juliet by saying that he will drag her to the Church if she refuses; “…or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.” Along with his uncontrolled and blinding anger, Capulet’s arrogance is also shown when Juliet pleads Capulet to listen to her after he tells her that she will marry Paris but Capulet completely ignores her;
“Good Father, I beseech you on my knees, hear me with patience but to speak a word.”
Capulet leaves with his final word that Juliet will be marrying Paris.
Shakespeare seems to want the audience to blame Paris as well at this time in the play. Had Paris not been there to marry Juliet, Juliet would not have gone to Friar Lawrence for a ‘remedy’ and so the plan would never have existed. This means that Romeo would not have died and neither would have Juliet. Paris would not have died either since Paris challenged Romeo to a duel outside of the Capulet’s Monument;
“Condemnèd villain, I do apprehend thee. Obey and go with me, for thou must die.”
This battle led to Paris’ death which made the tragedy even more tragic since another person had to die.
Mercutio also died in the play. He was killed by Tybalt. Shakespeare seemed to want the audience to partially blame Mercutio since he cursed both families before he died;
“A plague o’ both your houses!”
This sentence can be taken as foreshadowing since it plants a suspicion in the audience’s mind that the tragic events are about to start happening. The audience knows that this play is a tragedy since Shakespeare reveals it to the audience in the first few lines. Since the audience in Shakespeare’s time were very superstitious, they would have taken this curse a little more seriously than the more modern audiences. This means that in Shakespeare’s time, the audience would have blamed Mercutio a lot more for the tragedy. The fact that Mercutio repeats this phrase with some dialogue in between makes it stick to the heads of the audience which gives it a more haunting feel. Mercutio should have also left Tybalt alone and not fought with him.
Tybalt kills Mercutio which enrages Romeo at which Romeo kills Tybalt. Shakespeare seems to want the audience to blame Tybalt quite a lot for the tragedy. Tybalt came along to try and pick a fight with Romeo;
“Gentlemen good e’en.

A word with one of you.”
Tybalt was hoping that Romeo would be present. Mercutio, however, started to joke around which slightly aggravated Tybalt. When Romeo turned up, Tybalt directly challenged him to a fight:
“Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain.” “…therefore turn and draw.”
Tybalt uses gentle expressions such as ‘love’ only to sharply accuse Romeo if a villain. Although somewhat insignificant, this sentence structure adds to the cruelty that Tybalt portrays. Romeo does not want to fight and explains reasons as to why, however Tybalt will not accept that he is not fighting someone and Mercutio gives Tybalt the perfect reason and opportunity to start a fight. Shakespeare seems to want the audience to sees Tybalt’s urge to pick fights as a big reason for the tragedy.
The tragedy involves Juliet massively. The audience would most likely blame Juliet for the same reasons as they blamed Romeo for the tragedy.
Romeo and Juliet are not blamed for the tragedy that much since:
Love is not considered to be a crime.
In the end, they both suffered and

died.
Shakespeare seemed to want the audience to blame Friar Lawrence and Tybalt the most for the tragedy. If Tybalt had not picked a fight, then Mercutio would not have died. If Mercutio had not died, Romeo would not have killed Tybalt. If Tybalt had not been killed then Romeo would not have been banished. If Friar Lawrence had not married Romeo and Juliet then, Romeo and Juliet would not have felt so bad. If Romeo hadn’t been banished then Juliet would not have been so upset and her parents wouldn’t decide for her to get married so soon for her to take her mind off Tybalt’s death. If Juliet wasn’t going to get married, Friar Lawrence would not have come up with the plan. If the plan was not in existence, Romeo would not have thought that Juliet was dead and so would not have bought poison and killed himself. At the end, if Friar Lawrence had stayed with Juliet in the monument, Juliet probably wouldn’t have committed suicide. So…If Tybalt had not picked a fight, then this wouldn’t be a tragedy! This shows that Shakespeare seemed to want the audience to blame Friar Lawrence and Tybalt the most for the tragedy.