I am going to discuss why I think each character is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death, starting with Friar Lawrence as he was the one that wed them, gave Juliet the sleeping potion and sent Friar John to deliver a message to Romeo saying that she was not dead, and faking Juliet’s funeral as well as helping Romeo leave Verona when he was banished, by telling Romeo where to hide. It may be so that the friar was a great friend of Romeo, as he helped Romeo seek his love with a Capulet (or it could be that he wanted to end the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues.
The nurse was also responsible for their marriage and death as she had a reputation for being a prostitute, which may have meant that she was trying to persuade Juliet to go out and meet Romeo. She was also passing on messages for the two “star crossed lovers” to one – another.
I believe that Balthasar is also partly responsible because he had to speedily send a message to Romeo of Juliet’s feigned death, but stumble in on the funeral and the message got mixed up, and ended up telling Romeo that she was dead instead of asleep. This resulted in Romeo rushing to the crypt and committing suicide, not knowing that she would awake from a deep sleep any minute.
“Then she be well and nothing can be ill: her body sleeps in Capels’ monument, and her immortal part with angels lives. I saw her laid out low in her kindred’s vault, and presently took post to tell you.” (He got the wrong idea as he had seen the funeral taking place.)
The next character I will discuss is Lady Capulet, for she, like her husband (lord Capulet) showed aggression towards Juliet, which forced her to rebel.
Her mother tried forcing her to marry Paris, which was not the one she loved, in this case pushing her into the arms of Romeo. It seems that Lady Capulet again like her husband) seemed distant from Juliet as they left the nurse to look after her. “Well think of marriage now; younger that you, here in Verona, ladies of esteem, and made already mothers. By my count, I was your mother much upon these years that you are now a maid. Thus then in brief: The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.”
Also responsible for the two deaths is Lord Montague. He, like Lord Capulet