What was the most powerful factor that contributed to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

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Miles Beardsley

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What was the most powerful factor that contributed to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

There are a number of factors that contributed to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet: the characters actions, coincidence, choice and fate.

The actions of characters in the play contributed to the death of Romeo and Juliet.  The first example of this is Romeo attending the banquet at the Capulet’s:

‘Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance’

Mercutio was invited to the Party, but Romeo was not as he was a Montague and the Capulet’s and Montague’s did not get on with each other.  Romeo went to the party unwillingly as Mercutio coerced him into going. Mercutio wanted to cheer Romeo up and he hoped a bit of light entertainment would make Romeo less melancholy.  

        At the ball the coincidence of Romeo seeing Juliet and falling in love with her occurred.  The first moment Romeo saw Juliet he fell in love with her:

‘O she doth teach the torches to burn bright!’

The fact that Romeo had fallen in love with Juliet would play a key role in both his and Juliet’s death as it sparked a number of different events; for example it caused the couple to be married, and it also angered Tybalt resulting in Romeo killing Tybalt.

The next event to occur in the play is the choice that Romeo and Juliet made to secretly marry.  Their secret wedding was witnessed by the nurse and Friar Lawrence who married them.  Friar Lawrence did this because he thought it would bring the two families together:

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‘For this alliance may so happy prove

To turn your household s’ rancour to pure love’

This would be a decision that the Friar would soon regret, in fact it did not bring the households together and it just worsened their friendship between the two families.  It angered Tybalt and it posed a difficult dilemma for Romeo as it would not be easy for him to see Juliet.

This marriage angered Tybalt and made him want to kill Romeo, but Romeo didn’t want to fight:

‘Therefore farewell’

The offer of the fight from Tybalt is ...

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