Who Is To Blame For Romeo And Juliet's Death

Friar started the fire

In the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, several people are to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s death. All of the main characters have some contribution to the death of Romeo and Juliet one way or another. Friar Laurence is the priest in Verona that everyone trusts but he uses his power of trust against him. Even though many people are to blame Friar Laurence was the main cause for Romeo and Juliet’s death.

One of the reasons why Friar Laurence is to blame is that he avows Romeo and Juliet to get married. Friar Laurence agreed to marrying Romeo and Juliet because he thought that marrying the couple would “ turn [their] households’ rancor to pure love” (2: III: 92). This means that Friar Laurence permitted the 2 teen to get married because he thought it would mark the end on the bitter feud between the two households. But the part of the plan he was missing was them announce their marriage to their families. Later that day when Romeo and Juliet get married at friars cell, Friar says that their marriage “after-hours with sorrow chide us not” (2: VI: 2). He is saying that Romeo and Juliet’s marriage is an act that they won’t regret in the future and that will resolve a family feud, which is obviously not true.

Another reason that Friar Laurence is to blame is that he gives Juliet the potion to fake her death.

When Juliet came to Friar’s cell she asked for Friar Laurence to give her advice or she would “‘twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife” (4: I: 62). This means that if Friar did not give her advice she would kill herself. Instead of agreeing with the Capulet’s orders or telling Juliet to announce to her family that she is in love with Romeo, he suggests Juliet to fake her death by drinking “a cold and drowsy humor: for no pulse” (4: I: 96). This means Friar thinks the right thing to do is for Juliet to fake her death by drinking a potion that stops her pulse temporarily so she can be with

Romeo.
Even though Friar Laurence is the main one to blame, he thought he was doing it for a good cause. He decided to marry the couple only because he thought it would end the long going feud between the two families. When he suggested Juliet to drink the potion he was trying to save Juliet from death and Romeo from heartbreak. Friar Laurence didn’t know he was going to cause such a tragedy but he should have listened to the mature adults then the hopeless romantic teens.
At the end of the story Friar Lawrence is the one to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s death. Though he is the priest that everyone respects and trusts he choses the wrong decisions. He should have listened to the parents of the teens or told their families about Romeo and Juliet’s hidden love for each other. But instead he chose to help the hopelessly in love adolescents without knowing it were going to cause the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet.