The story behind the war between two neighbouring towns in the midlands: page 7
In my eyes it wasn’t Romeo and Juliet’s fault, they were only endeavouring to survive as star-crossed lovers and to live out their destiny. I think that it was all to do with their parents and their contemporaries. They were misguiding Romeo and Juliet, pointing them in the wrong direction.
Lady Capulet was especially in opposition to Juliet being with Romeo, she wanted Julie to marry County Paris. But this purely for her benefit, and also due to the fact that she wanted to get her hands on his wealth and she also wanted the Capulet family to climb the social ladder.
The Market Place
A few days before Romeo and Juliet’s tragic death there was a disturbance in the market place, Tybalt challenged Romeo to a duel with him. When Romeo refused to fight Tybalt, Mercutio drew his sword and challenged Tybalt to a duel.
In the inevitable fighting that followed, both Mercutio and Tybalt were to die.
When Tybalt was fighting Mercutio, Romeo tried to stop the fighting but Mercutio was wounded, he died shortly afterwards.
Romeo was infuriated, and so he challenged Tybalt and he accepted. They fought and Tybalt fell.
The only reason why Romeo took these drastic actions was because Tybalt had killed his kinsman, Mercutio.
An onlooker that witnessed both the murder of Mercutio and the slaying of Tybalt has given a one-off statement to ‘Verona Today’ regarding the fracas in the market place. It included: “Oh yes I was there, I witnessed the whole incident occur. I can honestly say that Romeo is not a reckless individual or a careless monster.”
He then went on to say: “it was very clear to me that Romeo was the peaceful one, he tried to stop the fight. But that careless Tybalt still followed through his threats of slaying Mercutio by wounding him right there and then.
When Romeo challenged Tybalt to a duel, it was purely because Tybalt had murdered his kinsman and this was so emotionally scarring that he felt he had to avenge the death of Mercutio.
Romeo is a true and loyal friend, an example to us all.”
Guilty Friar?
Some would say that Friar Laurence was to blame for the misguided misfortunes that flooded upon Romeo and Juliet.
The Friar devised a plan to solve Romeo and Juliet’s problem, he advised Juliet to fake her death. In doing so she would be free to go with Romeo.
If Juliet was to accept the terms of this plan she would have to drink a special potion that would give the illusion that she was dead.
The other condition of this plan was that a letter had to be sent to Romeo, explaining the plan and the actions he was to take.
Juliet took the potion and she faked her death but the letter did not reach Romeo, when he heard the news concerning Juliet he thought that she had actually killed herself.
Romeo went to an apothecary and bought himself a potion that if taken, it would kill in a matter of seconds.
Romeo made his way to Juliet’s grave, he felt he had to take the potion there so they could die together.
When Romeo arrived at Juliet’s grave he realised that the news he had heard concerning Juliet was true, she was dead.
With Juliet dead, Romeo had no reason for living, he took the lethal potion and died seconds later.
When Juliet awoke from her deep sleep she noticed that Romeo was dead, she was so emotionally and psychologically shocked by this that she snatched Romeo’s dagger from his waist and stabbed herself.
Sources close to Friar Laurence exposed his plan to us and an anonymous individual put forward an eyewitness account. It read: “As I was walking home I noticed a man acquiring a potion of some sort from the apothecary. Naturally I was concerned, most potions bought from the apothecary are quite dangerous. I followed this man to his destination (Juliet’s grave) and witnessed him taking the potion and die seconds later. I also witnessed Juliet stab herself with Romeo’s dagger when she noticed that he was dead. It was a truly horrific experience.”
Peacemakers?
My interpretation of Romeo and Juliet’s passionate love affair is that they were attempting to end the feud between both the Montague and the Capulet families by bringing them closer together. This is why they weren’t listening to their parents, because they wanted to put an end to the trivial feud that has plagued the two families.
As I see it, Romeo and Juliet are examples to our society and should be held in our memories forever, as the kind, devoted and caring people that indeed they were…
