Who Is To Blame For Romeo And Juliet's Death

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In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, who is to blame for the two lovers’ double suicide? Contrary to what many people think, the answer is not as obvious as it seems. Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet: feuding families, forbidden love, and foretold death. But without reading the text entirely, it is difficult to comprehend who is ultimately responsible. By examining the impulsive actions of certain key characters and analyzing the circumstances surrounding the young couple, it became clear that there are multiple people to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s death. Romeo and Juliet are the most distinguishable characters to blame. They fell in “love” too quickly. Romeo saw Juliet, and then he immediately said “Did my heart love till now?” (I.IV.51) He proclaimed his love for Juliet moments after his first glimpse of her. Because of their hasty declaration of love, it’s difficult for anyone to believe it was true love. Some may argue that their willingness to take their own lives indicate that their feelings are real; however, Shakespeare’s use of time suggests otherwise. From their meeting scene until they decided to get married was in a span of about three hours. Their rash decision obliviously contributed to their deaths, but it wasn’t just them whose decisions pushed them to such drastic measures. …show more content…

Even though his initial decision was completely against the marriage, he decided the benefits would outweigh the disadvantages. He told Romeo, “If e’er thou wast thyself, and these woes thine.” (II.III.78) Friar Lawrence also gave Juliet the idea to fake her death, instead of telling her parents about her secret marriage. Friar Lawrence only made matters worse by giving Juliet the poison so she could temporary appear dead. Although Friar Lawrence wasn’t the one who directly killed Romeo and Juliet, his poor choices inevitably doomed the young couple to their

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