Juliet is a Capulet not yet fourteen. She is gentle, loyal but is very clever and has a strong mind when she first meets Romeo she falls for him instantly. She asks him to marry her knowing full and well it would be against her parents wishes, as they want her to marry the County Paris. It shows she loves him and cares for him, as she is concerned about him being caught in the balcony scene.
“The orchard walls are high and hard to climb
and the place death considering who thou art” (Act Sc3)
She thinks differently from Romeo in that she doesn’t blame fate for the things that go wrong, she blames her birth as a Capulet.
“Prodigious birth of love is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy”, (Act 1 Sc 5)
Whereas Romeo had Friar Laurence and friends to advise him, Juliet has to make all her own decisions, with the nurse offering little or no help at all. Romeos parents seem very loving but Juliet’s parents, especially Lady Capulet seem very cold hearted, they force her into marrying Paris giving her no choices
“She shall be married to this noble earl” (Act 3 Sc 4)
Juliet visits Friar Laurence and is happy with his plans for her and Romeo because she was unhappy and upset about marrying Paris.
“Oh bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From the battlements of any tower” (Act 4 Sc 1)
Friar Laurence’s plans for Romeo and Juliet were that Juliet was to take a sleeping potion to make her appear dead. On her wedding day she would be carried to the Capulet vault. Meanwhile after having received a letter from Friar John, Romeo would return to Verona from Mantua and would be with Juliet when she wakes up.
The Friar has good intentions but is persuaded to make risky decisions by Romeo and Juliet such as agreeing to marry them without their parents consent. He gets too involved and then its up to him to ensure everything goes smoothly.
He goes behind the backs of the parents by agreeing to marry them without their parents consent but he has good reason for this “to turn your households rancour to pure love” (Act 2 Sc 3). He is hoping to stop the feuding between the families. Though the Friar is concerned about what he is doing the plan to reconcile the two families is soon brought to an end when Romeo is banished. This time the Friar concocts another plan, which is just as risky as the first. Romeo is to go to Mantua where he will try to arrange a meeting between Romeo and Juliet. The plan goes wrong and Romeo yet again accuses fate.
Juliet again turns to the Friar for a solution. He supplies her with a sleeping potion, which she uses to make her appear dead so she doesn’t have to marry Paris. I think that Friar Laurence is one of the main people to blame for the tragedy, as they were all his plans that went wrong. But from Romeo and Juliet’s point of view Friar Laurence was being helpful.
The Nurse is one of Juliet’s closest friends. She is not clever or sensitive and does nothing to warn Juliet of how getting involved with a Montage might cause problems to the family. In act 1 scene 3 when Lady Capulet is discussing the possibility of a marriage to Paris, she makes jokes and finds it amusing “A bump as big as a young cockerels stone”(Act1 Sc3). Although the nurse is simple she is kind-hearted and very fond of Juliet.
“Well sir my mistress is the sweetest lady” (Act 2 Sc 4)
The nurse seems to get carried away with the Romeo situation and is eager for her to marry, but she offers no advice to Juliet although she clearly knows she is young and inexperienced, she makes no effort to suggest that this could be a problem. Like Friar Laurence she goes behind her masters back, acting as their messenger. At first the nurse admires Romeo “why has a man of wax” (Act 1 Sc 3) but warns him not to lead her into a “fools paradise” (Act 2 Sc 4).
After Tybalts death, the nurse turns against Romeo, “Will you speak well of him that killed your cousin” (Act 3 Sc 2). When Juliet needs the nurse the most as her parents tell he she must marry Paris, the nurse lets her down by telling her to forget about Romeo and marry Paris. The nurse was partly to blame although not purposely, she didn’t realise what would happen if it got out of hand.
Benvolio is the only character that recognises the dangers, such as when he persuades Mercutio not to start a fight with the Capulets, he also tells Romeo to leave the scene of the fighting as he had a good idea of the prince’s reaction. I don’t think any of the blame should be put on Benvolio.
Tybalt is a hot tempered and aggressive person, his view of the Montagues is summed up in one line
“What, drawn and talk of peace, I hate the word as I hate hell,
All Montagues and thee” (Act 1 Sc 1)
At the ball, when he hears that Romeo is there he is angry and draws is sword, but is stopped by Lord Capulet. I think Tybalt should take some of the blame as it was his actions that led to Romeo being banished.
Mercutio is a lively, playful character who tries to advice Romeo in a kind-hearted way
“Thy wit is a bitter sweeting,
It is a most sharp sauce” (Act 2 Sc 4)
Mercutio is loyal to Romeo, he steps in when Tybalt challenges him. His death is a turning point in the play for if he hadn’t died things could of turned out differently. I don’t think he can be put to blame, as he never knew about the relationship.
The Prince rules Verona but he doesn’t do enough. He makes threats but never carries out any actions. He had the chance to enforce the death penalty on Romeo but he didn’t. If he had tried harder to stop the feuding it might not have got out of hand.
In this essay I hope I have shown that there isn’t one character to blame but everyone played a part. I don’t think you can put it down to fate and I think that Romeo and Juliet did their best too make things work not forgetting that they are both young and inexperienced.
