“Romeo, O Romeo, deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet.”
Juliet already declares her outstanding love for Romeo, and speaks so strongly that it is unmistakable and her feelings are honest.
At the realisation of Romeo hearing Juliet’s words they speak openly about their feelings for each other. Suddenly their speeches are interrupted by Juliet’s nurse, the lovers are drawn back from the almost isolation of their love and back into the real world. After the interruption Juliet makes a proposal;
“Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow..”
Only a few minutes before Juliet was expressing her worries and anxieties about her new feelings and relationship with Romeo. Suddenly her love seems so strong she tells Romeo she will marry him, almost instantly forgetting the trouble it will cause.
Both Romeo and Juliet are somewhat responsible for their deaths; Romeo pursues his feelings and marries Juliet in secret, despite the fact that he knows of the consequence that may come of it. He has such a strong love for Juliet he does not think of any of this, and thinks only of his happiness with Juliet.
Juliet is determined to marry Romeo. She is young and innocent and experiencing her first love with Romeo. Juliet is ‘blown away’ by Romeo and her love is so strong that she cannot restrain herself and urges Romeo to act on her suggestion of marriage.
The love of Romeo and Juliet was never going to be an easy relationship. They had little or no support, the whole marriage was a secret only shared by the Friar Lawrence, Juliet’s nurse and the couple themselves.
Friar Lawrence arranged the marriage he had good intentions in doing so;
“For this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancour to pure love”
He hopes that by marrying Romeo and Juliet he will cancel out the hate between the families and end the feud which has broken up the townsfolk for years, and alas, make peace.
Later, Romeo and his two friends, Benvolio and Mercutio, are wandering the city of Verona energetically. They discuss Tybalt, the fierce nephew of Old Capulet; Benvolio worries that a fight between the Capulets and Montagues may break out and urges Mercutio to resign for:
“These hot days, is the mad blood stirring”.
Mercutio responds with his good-natured humour, but when Tybalt appears his energy is restored. He is angered at Tybalt’s violence and determination to fight with Romeo.
After Romeo refuses, having just married Tybalt’s cousin he knows he cannot fight Tybalt, of whose name ‘he cherishes as much as his own’. Tybalt is astounded and more angered at Romeo’s refusal and taunts him more and more.
Mercutio, seeing Romeo refusing to fight, challenges Tybalt himself.
Romeo tries to stop them fighting, but his interference leads to the stabbing of Mercutio. At the point of death Mercutio declares he has been fatally wounded,
“A plague a’ both your houses! They have made worms meat of me”
Mercutio dies in Romeo’s arms, it is very sad and a key part of the play. Mercutio, Romeo’s closest friend, has died in a battle not even meant for him. Fresh, unstoppable anger surfaces for Romeo. Forgetting his new wife, Romeo takes his sword in an immediate reaction of vengeance for the death of Mercutio.
In the heat of the moment Romeo kills Tybalt. At seeing Tybalt collapse at his feet Romeo’s anger slips away,
“O, I am fortune’s fool.”
Romeo mutters these words at the realisation of what he has just done. The Prince sends Romeo into exile after hearing of the afternoon’s events. Escales believes this is justice to both Romeo and Tybalt.
Shortly after Romeo confides to Friar Lawrence
“Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say ‘death’ For exile hath more terror in his look.”
He says that not being able to see Juliet will bring him more upset than death.
The killing of Mercutio and Tybalt has led to Rome being exiled. It has added strain on Romeo and Juliet’s already rocky relationship. Just hours after the marriage Romeo is to be sent away after killing his own cousin. Tybalt’s provocation and Mercutio’s eagerness to respond both add to the tense situations and end result of the play.
Ignorant of what is happening on the streets around her, Juliet is longing for the night to come when she can be with Romeo again. Suddenly, the nurse shatters her dreams and recalls the tragic happenings of death and banishment. Juliet is torn between emotions she struggles to make sense of what the nurse is saying. She subsides into grief for the loss of her husband and urges the nurse to find him so that she can spend the night with him before he must go.
Meanwhile Friar Lawrence is trying to calm Romeo, trying desperately to convince Romeo that things could have been much worse. Romeo is not convinced for banishment from Verona means separation (and heartbreak) from Juliet, claiming this to be worse than death itself. The Friar feels guilty, as it was he who arranged the marriage. He decides to take action.
After their wedding night together, Romeo must leave Verona. The lovers bid farewell, but are interrupted by Lady Capulet. As Romeo leaves Juliet hears of the shock proposal that she must marry Paris. Juliet is shocked her reaction straight away is refusal.
Juliet’s father enters, after learning that Juliet has refused the marriage he turns irate, bullying and threatening his daughter,
“Get thee to church a’ Thursday or never after look me in the face”
Juliet’s father tells Juliet that if she will not marry Paris then she will no longer live in the Capulet household.
Juliet’s parents, have little all no support for Juliet. Her own mother does not help her when her father attacks her, she feels betrayed and upset. She knows that she cannot marry Paris and yet is desperate not to upset her parents. Juliet turns to her nurse in desperation and yet the nurse is somewhat reserved. Juliet finds no comfort or support from the nurse she has loved and trusted for fourteen years. Having experienced so much grief and shock the previous day, the nurse can now only think of ways to get out of difficulties. No one knows of Juliet’s marriage to Romeo, he is now banished and the nurse urges Juliet to think over a second marriage.
Juliet feels betrayed, without her parents or the nurse support, Juliet is completely alone.
The marriage proposal itself impacts Juliet’s life unbelievably too. Had it not been for that, both Juliet and Romeo may have been able to survive without each other. However with the threat of Juliet having to marry someone else a new desperation seized her and she looked for ways of getting out of the situation once and for all.
Juliet goes to Friar Lawrence, with her last hope for help. Friar Lawrence, panicked at Juliet’s anguish and desperation finds only one suitable method of uniting Romeo and Juliet again. After researching into different herbs and medicines Friar Lawrence offers Juliet a way out of the mess. Risky and dangerous, but the best, and only hope she has, Juliet agrees to take a potion which will pronounce her ‘dead’, then she will lie in the family vault, sleeping until Romeo recalled from Mantua by Friar Lawrence will come and rescue her.
Friar Lawrence, despite his good intentions played a big part in the death of Romeo and Juliet. Not only did he marry the couple but he also devised the plan of action of which did not succeed..
Juliet takes the potion the night before her wedding day. Juliet is excited and yet doubtful. Her imagination runs wild and wonders whether the Friar may trick her,
“What if it be a potion which the friar subtly hath minister’d me dead,”
She wonders if the poison might really kill her or if it will work at all. Finally she grasps the courage to drink the contents. Before collapsing on the bed she mutters the words
“Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s drink – I drink to thee.”
The following morning the nurse finds Juliet ‘dead’. She calls Lady Capulet, Lord Capulet, Paris and Friar Lawrence. They all have time for a short recognition of grief.
Friar Lawrence preaches a short funeral sermon and gives instructions for the removal of Juliet’s body.
Bad news travels faster than first thought, Romeo hears of Juliet’s supposed death from a friend and does not receive the letter explaining all. Romeo goes back to Verona his gut instinct to lie with his wife and never leave her; it is sad and beautiful at the same time.
This lack of communication plays a huge part in the couple’s deaths.
Romeo arrives at Juliet’s tomb and comes face to face with the County Paris. He is a desperate man and when Paris refuses to let Romeo pass he fights and kills Paris.
He enters the tomb preparing to lie Paris in the tomb when he sees Juliet. He of course, has no reason to doubt that she is not dead; he withdraws the poison and lies beside her.
“Here’s to my love”
He drinks the potion to Juliet. The action is swift. Romeo collapses beside Juliet, seconds before Friar Lawrence stumbles through the open tomb. Juliet begins to stir.
The Friar panics when she asks for her husband. He tells her of the mix up and urges her not to stay as the watchman is coming. When he sees she is not moving he flees.
Juliet is left alone, the body of her dead husband beneath her. Juliet contemplates that her life now has no meaning and that she too, cannot live anymore.
“This is thy sheath; there rust and let me die”
Juliet stabs herself, and collapses horrifically onto Romeo.
The final lines of the play are so full of emotion,
“For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”
Many people played a part in the fatal ending of Romeo and Juliet. The feud of years was a huge factor in that it led to many complications in the secret marriage. Both Romeo and Juliet themselves made hasty decisions which often resulted in life-threatening situations. Juliet had no support from her parents, and eventually even her nurse could offer her no comfort. She was isolated, and dependent on the Friar, who, despite good intentions, also affected the end result. The taunts of Tybalt led to the killing of Mercutio, which gave Romeo the drive to kill. The banishment to Mantua declared by the Prince caused more heartbreak for the couple.
The wedding of Paris added desperation for Juliet, who knew she could not marry Paris. The plan devised by the Friar, came as a result of this. Had the letter been delivered successfully however, all might have been well. Despite this Romeo did not receive the letter and went to the tomb to see his wife. Romeo kills Paris and advances to see Juliet. She is not yet awake and he kills himself before she awakens. Juliet awakes and when she sees her husband dead beside her she grasps the dagger and ends her life too.
There are endless characters and events that led to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, despite all this, it is predicted from the very start of the play that Romeo and Juliet are ‘ill-fated’ ‘star-crossed lovers’.
Despite the different reasons I think that fate played a huge part in the deaths. Since the meeting of Romeo and Juliet it was obvious that they would not live a normal life. Complication after complication leads to the final climax where they, as predicted, take their lives… inevitable fate.
Belinda Hirst 11W