Despite that Romeo is a Montague, Capulet tells Tybalt to leave it for now as all his guests are there and he did not want chaos in his house.
“You’ll not endure him? God shall med my soul! You’ll make a mutiny among my guests:” Act1 Scene5 Line77-78
So Tybalt agrees with his uncle but he says that he shall not forget it meaning he will get him later
“I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall. Now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall”-Act1 Scene5 Line88-89
This is then repaid when Tybalt kills Mercutio and Romeo kills Tybalt. This results to Romeos Banishment from Verona, which some blame for Juliet’s death.
Also Friar Lawrence is involved, as he has brought the motives. He marries the lovers in secrecy because he thinks it will patch up the families feud. The friar thinks that it would bring the families together and settle the conflict. When Romeo and Juliet are in need of help they turn to Friar L. He has an important part in the play, as he knows what is going on. He is in the secret of marrying Romeo and Juliet and he even provides the drug for Juliet. He tries hard to help the tragic lovers but fails to save them. Friar Lawrence is the one who is on both sides of the family. He is the one, who supplies the drug or potion for Juliet,
“. This distilled liquor drink thou off…when presently through all thy veins shall run a cold and drowsy humour for no pulse.”Act4 Scene1 Lines94-96
It is in his hands on how they both die literally because it was his plan and motives, which made it all, happening. Juliet thinks that Friar is maybe poisoning her
“Subtly hath ministered to have me dead, lest in marriage he should be dishonoured because he married me before to Romeo? I fear it is; and yet methinks it should not,” Act4 Scene3 Lines26-28
Also Friar is blamed for the miscarriage of the delivery of the letters. The letters provided the information for Friar L’s plans, which leads to misunderstanding. When Friar Lawrence notices that the letter is not in Romeos hands then he is quite worried
“Of dear import; and the neglecting it May do much danger.” Act5 Scene2 Lines28-29.
Most people blame it on him because it is quite obvious that it was his plan in everything to try to make them happy, but it turns into a tragic romance. He also acts cowardly when Juliet awakes and Romeo is lying dead on the floor. He hears the watchers and abandons Juliet.
“Stay not to question, for the watch is coming Come me, go, good Juliet; I dare no longer stay”-Act5 Scene3 Lines158-159
At the end he results to explaining to everyone what happened, as he is the only one who knows the truth in the story
The nurse is there in the play to provide the humour. She is more like a mother to Juliet as she has seen her grow up when she was ‘weaned’ and she has been a close nurse to Juliet. Juliet trusts her and tells her about Romeo. They keep it a secret and Nurse is there for Juliet as long as she is happy. The Nurse tries to help the lovers but fails in the end. When Juliet is forced to marry Paris by her parents. Juliet turns to the Nurse for help she betrays her and says that marrying Paris will keep the peace
“I think it best you married with County…. Romeo’s a dish clout to him”Act3 scene5 Lines118-120
Here she betrays Juliet after all the positive things she says about Romeo
Some may say that love at first sight was the cause of the tragedy. Romeo and Juliet have a quick rapid courtship and marriage may cause their deaths. This might involve the Courtly Love tradition. As at the beginning Romeo is in love with Rosaline, this infatuates this because he only likes her for her beauty. The play also has contrasts of love. Mercutio and the Nurse are appeared more rude and sexy while Romeo and Juliet have true love and romance. It is obvious that Romeo and Juliet experience Love at first sight because of the use of language. Romeo describes his Juliet as;
“bright angel ,for thou art As glorious as the night, being o’er my head, As a winged messenger of heaven.” Act2 Scene2 Lines26-28
and Juliet tells Romeo that;
“My true-love passion. Therefore pardon me, And not impute this yielding light to love, Which the dark night hate so discovered.”Act2 Scene2 Lines104-106
Their use of language also contains religious ideas, which states that it is true love and romance. Although Romeo and Juliet love each other very much they have different personalities in seeing love. Romeo is more Romantic in his language whereas Juliet is more realistic.
Some critics think that the Bad Luck and accidents were to blame for their deaths. At the start of the play Romeo and Juliet are described as ‘star-crossed lovers’ Romeo knows that him attending the Capulets ball will lead to unhappy things
“My mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars” Act1 scene4 lines106-107
Mercutio’s death is an accident, as he interferes with the fight. In resort to anger Romeo kills Tybalt, which leads him into the banishment. Romeos banishment from Verona is bad luck. Also when Romeo does not get the letter it is one of the biggest accident of all as if it wasn’t for this Romeo would of not killed himself.
“I could not send it-here it is again-Nor get a messenger to bring it to thee”Act5 Scene2 Lines14-15
So the accident of the miscarriage of the letter leads Romeo into thinking that Juliet is dead, so kills himself too. Romeo says
“One writ with me in sour misfortunes book”Act5 scene3 line82
He describes how it is a bad luck that his one and only Juliet are dead and it is a bad fortune for him. As Juliet wakes up she notices that Romeo has poisoned himself and so too kills herself with a dagger, this is an accident as well.
The play is divided in two parts. There are public and private scenes in Romeo and Juliet. As the play is started in a ‘public place’ in Verona when the servant fight with swords. Also the Capulet’s The surroundings in Verona are more like masculine society as the macho servants ball was a public place as everyone attended. The scene where Julie appears aloft at the window, this is a private scene between the lovers. In scene 6 Romeo and Juliet gets married which makes it a private scene, but Shakespeare has juxtaposition this so that straight after the marriage it is a public place which takes place of the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt. The love and hate of the play is oxymoron. As the only love in the play is Romeo and Juliet they are willing to die for each other, while the atmosphere around them is hate. ‘here’s much to do with hate, but more with love’. There love is threatened by the society full of hate. The hatred in the town Verona directs into the deaths of Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, Tybalt and Paris. joke about sex quite viciously. After the death the death of Tybalt and Mercutio the play begins to speed up and the scenes are much shorter. The plays action is over only a few days Sunday-Thursday. Shakespeare makes this very effective as to the end the pace of the play gradually speeds up so that their deaths are more effective. This is also reflected in the plays language.
The use of the characters language can be the cause of the lover’s deaths. Their language is full of contrasts and opposites. Romeo has several premonitions on his death. In one of Romeo and Juliet conversation, she tells him she has a déjà vu on their death
“O God, I have an ill-divining soul! Me thinks I see thee, now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Either my eyesight fails or thou look’st pale”Act3 Scene5 Lines54-57
This is the last time the lovers see each other alive. Before Juliet takes the poison she has a long speech on her premonition, which leads to their death
“Farewell; God knows when we shall meet again. I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins That almost freezes up the heat of life: I’ll call them back again to comfort me.”-Act 4 scene3 lines 15-18
In this speech she describes her death as gothic atmosphere of the tomb when she gets out. She doubts Friar as he may want to kill her. Also she remembers her cousin Tybalt who still wants to kill Romeo. And when she wakes up and sees the dead bodies she would go insane. Romeo has a dream, which links to the premonition of their death. He visions them lying on their deathbed together.
Who do I blame for Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet Death? I find that there are a lot of reasons for this, which includes all of these. Firstly I think that the conflict between the two families is one of the main reasons, at the end it clearly states
“See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, that heaven finds mean to kill your joys with love” Act5 Scene3 Lines292-293
Showing that the prince blames them for their deaths. Also I think the accident of Tybalt and Mercutio sets off the death. As because of this Romeo is banished from Verona to be parted away from his Juliet. Another reason is the accident of the miscarriage of the letter I blame this for Romeos death. The love that they both had was strong that they would die for each other.
“Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight” Act5 scene1 line34
Is the expression of that love in death? So my main conclusion rests on the blame for the feud between the Capulets and Montagues.
