Who Is To Blame For The Tragedy?
Who Is To Blame For The Tragedy?
The tragical death of the two 'star-cross'd' lovers, Romeo and Juliet do not appear to be of much benefit. They are, it could be said, needless! This is not entirely true, because the fighting between the two families did stop by the deaths, however, this was of no benefit to themselves, nor was it the aim of the story! It was mainly the people around them who were fighting and disagreeing about the relationship. Romeo and Juliet did not take an active part in the fighting. Their lives were wrecked, and effectively ended, by the fighting.
Romeo is a young member of the Montague household, who falls in love with another young member of the rival family, who happen to be sworn enemies, the Capulet family. Romeo begins as a very strange character. He is in love with Rosaline, but we soon find this love is not genuine. He also seems to blame everything on fate and fotune. After he kills Tybalt, he exclaims:
"O, I am fortune's fool".
Killing Tybalt was one of the big mistakes Romeo made. This is one that eventually led to his death. I think this was one of the biggest factors in leading to the tragic ending. If it had been prevented, Romeo would not have been banished from the country. He would have been able to speak and see Juliet, and he would have been informed about the events surrounding her 'to-be' marriage with Paris. However, the killing of Tybalt was not, in my opinion, Romeos fault. Tybalt himself was to blame for what happened, and so he was the one to blame for the result in the long term as well.
Another example of Romeo's blaming the stars is when he hears the news that Juliet is dead he says, "Then I defy you stars", meaning he is not going to let Fate dictate what happens to him anymore.
Romeo is also not afraid to take risks. This may be because his love for Juliet is so strong that he cannot bear to leave her. In the balcony scene he risks getting caught by the Nurse, and then later in Juliet's bedroom when Lady Capulet is looking for her.
Juliet is around the age of ...
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Another example of Romeo's blaming the stars is when he hears the news that Juliet is dead he says, "Then I defy you stars", meaning he is not going to let Fate dictate what happens to him anymore.
Romeo is also not afraid to take risks. This may be because his love for Juliet is so strong that he cannot bear to leave her. In the balcony scene he risks getting caught by the Nurse, and then later in Juliet's bedroom when Lady Capulet is looking for her.
Juliet is around the age of 14 when she meets Romeo. she is gentle, loyal, obeys her parents and thinks for herself. She, just like Romeo himself, falls in love at the first sight of Romeo. She is somewhat like Romeo, in the fact that she does not think long term. She easily performs actions without considering the consequences.
She is not as willing as Romeo to take risks. In the Balcony scene, she asks Romeo to consider his actions:
"The orchard walls are high and hard to climb
And the place death, considering who thou art," (Act 2 Scene 2)
Unlike Romeo, Juliet does not directly turn to fate to blame for her actions. However we do see her shifting the blame onto other things, in this example her birth:
"Prodigious birth of love is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy." (Act 1 Scene 5)
Another Difference between Romeo and Juliet is that Romeo had many friends, such as friar Lawrence, and Juliet had no-one. The nurse was of very little help, and her parents were very cruel. This fact, particularly the attitude of her parents also greatly affected the sad ending of the story.
Although I seems from his talk with Paris that Capulet is a reasonable man, it is found later that he can be extremely cruel and enforcing when he wishes. In Act 3 Scene 5, Capulet makes clear that Juliet is to marry the county 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." (Act 3 Scene 5)
If Capulet had not forced Juliet into the marriage, or if he had considered her opinion and given her a chance to delay it, perhaps Romeo would have been informed of all, and the deaths would have been prevented. In this case, it is clear that Capulet is in the wrong, and can be blamed.
The solution Friar Lawrence thinks up for Juliet is excellent, but not flawless. A different solution may well have prevented the deaths. However, Juliet seemed pleased with the solution (see quote), and it may well have been the only way:
"Give me, give me! Oh tell me not of fear! (Act 4 Scene 1)
But this may have been simply out of her distress at the thought of marrying the county, for she says:
"Oh bid me leap, rather than marry Paris
From of the battlements of any tower". (Act 4 Scene 1)
However, this is not the only place where Friar Lawrence has interfered. The other place in the story which he may have played a part in the ending, is when he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet without parental consent. I think he cannot be blamed for this, but it was certainly an unwise choice.
County Paris is also one who can be blamed for the deaths. His continuous unending insistence towards Capulet on the issue of marrying Juliet was the reason Capulet hurried the service. However, his insistence was out of his ignorance of the consequences which would occur out of this marriage, effectively the death of Juliet!
So when Juliet faces the rest of her life with Paris turns to the Friar for a solution, he supplies her with a "sleeping potion" which she uses to make it look like she is dead so she does not have to marry Paris. I think it is fair to say that Friar Laurence is one of the main people to blame for the tragedy, as it was his plans that went wrong. But from Romeo and Juliet's view he was very helpful and always had a solution for their dilemmas.
When Balthaser gave the news to Romeo that Juliet has died, it immediately became clear in Romeos mind what he was going to do. Balthaser cannot be blamed - he simply stated what he saw, and he could have had no idea about the potion. However, his fast arrival to Romeo was one of the factors which led to the grand finale.
In conclusion, the eventual destruction of the two lovers was caused by multiple events, involving numerous people. The main character who are involved, which I have mentioned are Tybalt, Capulet, Friar Lawrence, County Paris and Balthaser. Tybalt was the one who provoked Romeo into killing him, ironically, this event led to the death of Romeo himself. Capulet was the one who enforced the marriage between County Paris and Juliet, a marriage which had to be prevented at all costs - even death! Friar Lawrence was the one who agreed to marry the lover without consent - a fatal mistake! Perhaps if they had not been married so soon, they would have gotten over each other. County Paris was the one who insisted on the marriage between himself and Juliet. Balthaser was an innocent messenger - but his message was death, which led to more death! I think most to blame was Tybalt. His actions were deliberate and he knew his actions may have sever consequences. Tybalt was the main man, who led to the main event - THE END!
