However the deaths of the two lovers can also be blamed upon the feud between the two families. This is because the ‘ancient feud’ is the basis that Romeo and Juliet had to get married behind their parents’ backs, because their families would not allow the two to be together. If the families did not dislike each other then Romeo and Juliet’s marriage would not have happened in secrecy and Juliet. Romeo may have been accepted by the Capulet family and given permission to take Juliet’s hand in marriage. This would obviously have avoided the deaths of both the characters.
At one time in the play, when both the characters families have come to the scene of the tragedy, Friar Lawrence admits that the deaths are his fault;
”Her nurse is privy; and if aught in this miscarried by my fault, let my old life be sacrificed some hour before his time unto the rigour of severest law”
Here Friar Lawrence is saying that the nurse is not at fault, and if she played any part in the incident then she was misguided by the Friars fault. He then goes on to say that his life should be taken by the law for what he did.
Romeo can also be partly at blame because he killed Tybalt. If Romeo had not had done this then he would not have been banished. If he had not been banished there would not have been a problem with him finding out the plan with the potion. The deaths of the characters can not be entirely blamed on the Friar Lawrence because taking the remedy was totally Juliet’s choice. The friar also tells her that it may not work and it is a desperate way to solve the problem. He says;
”Hold daughter, I do spy a kind of hope, which craves as desperate an execution, as that is desperate which we would prevent”
Here the friar is saying that his plan gives a kind of hope, but he does not say it is full proof. He also says it is a very desperate thing to do and Juliet should only do it if she is prepared to face death in order to have a chance at being with Romeo.
All of these factors explain why the characters Romeo and Juliet died, but can not be blamed exclusively on the Friar, as there are many more contributing factors to their deaths. However the Friar did play a major part in the deaths of the characters, even if he did not mean for it to happen.