Romeo and Juliet have no one to blame but themselves. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Right from the first page in the book, it becomes apparent that this story will end badly. The two families ‘ancient grudge’ is the first insight of many under-lying occurrences, each one having a fundamental influence on the end result. Blame is a strong word of accusation that can only be used once a thorough understanding of events has been established. Hence, to blame only Romeo and Juliet would be biased, as they alone cannot be held responsible. There are many other factors, which may be blamed for the tragedy that separately have little consequence. It is only when these factors are combined, that such an outcome can be achieved.
The prologue describes Romeo and Juliet as ‘a pair of star-crossed lovers,’ as though the stars had already mapped out their fates. Fate is signalled throughout the play by an intricate series of premonitions. These premonitions give a clear foresight of the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. In Act 2, Friar Lawrence says, “These violent delights have violent ends, and in their triumph die.” This is a clear description of the fate of Romeo and Juliet. A little later in the play, Juliet says, “Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb.” This foreshadows that Juliet will find Romeo dead in a tomb. To further accentuate this premonition, Romeo says, “I dreamt my lady came and found me dead.” It is obvious that Shakespeare did not intend to hide these premonitions in the lines that spoke them, and thus the reason why they give a clear foresight towards the fate of Romeo and Juliet. One extremely coincidental point in the play is when Capulet sends the servant who cannot read to invite people to his party. Out of all the citizens in Verona, the servant happens to bump into Romeo first and asks him to read the invitation. This is how Romeo discovers about the Capulet ball, and it is at this party that Romeo and Juliet fall in love. Fate seemed to control their lives and force them together, becoming the ultimate controlling power.
