Who is responsible for the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

Adam Joseph 11L

Shakespeare Coursework

William Shakespeare is a word famous dramatist who wrote a variety of interesting plays including Macbeth, Twelfth Knight, A Comedy Of Errors, Henry V. and Romeo and Juliet. His plays were tragedies, comedies and historical text.

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. He got married to Anne Hathaway and had three children with her. His son Hammet died and soon after Shakespeare left his wife, some think it was because of the pressure of his son dieing. He then left for London and started writing plays. He wrote most of his plays for the Globe Theatre where he worked for a period of nineteen years and wrote two plays a year. In total he wrote thirty-seven plays.

The Globe Theatre was a very popular theatre in London during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This is mainly because both rich and poor people would go there. In the Globe Theatre they did not have many props, and women actors were not allowed on stage. Taking this into account this makes Shakespeare’s two plays a year for the Globe Theatre even more remarkable.

Many people contributed to Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. I think those people are Romeo and Juliet themselves for getting together even though they probably knew that it would cause even trouble. The Capulets and the Montague have passed their hate of the other family through their own, so it would be impossible for anybody in their own family to become friends with the opposite family. You could also say Friar Laurence is the main cause of Rome and Juliet’s death even though he meant right. Friar Laurence married Romeo and Juliet because he though it would stop the feud but it just made it worse. He also made another plan he went through with it half-heartedly and didn’t make sure it went ahead properly. Tybalt also helped because he kept a grudge on Romeo just because he went to a Capulet party. Others you can blame are Mercutio, the Prince, Paris and fate. In my opinion the main person for Romeo and Juliet’s death is Friar Laurence because although he meant well he half-heartedly. This is why I think his plans failed.

The prologue is partly used to tell the audience about what will happen in the play. This helps to keep the audience in suspense while they wait for the things to happen. It also helps to keep the audience on the lines of any plot. It tells the audience it is about “two households” with an “ancient grudge break to near mutiny”. The prologue tells about “a pair of star-crossed lovers” who “take their life”. Instead of just telling the audience about the story line it also tells them where the play is set “in fair Verona where we ...

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At the start of Act 1, scene 1 two slaves from each family (Capulet and Montague) start quarrelling and begin to fight. Tybalt and Benvolio and several more from each family join in with the fight until the Prince breaks it up. When the Prince breaks up the fight he warns both families but does not punish them. I think that this is not enough; I believe he has done this many times before so neither of the families thinks they will ever be punished. The fight starts because two of the Capulet slaves are talking in sexual innuendos about some of the Montague maids. Also one of the Capulets bites his thumb at the Montague’s, which is an insult. The sexual innuendos they use have double meanings. “I will cut of their maiden heads” this could mean he will cut off the maid’s heads or it could mean he would rape them. Another sexual innuendo is “My naked sword is out”. This could mean that his sword is out.

Lady Montague is concerned about Romeo because he has been acting strangely like waking up early, he was seen by Benvolio “an hour before the worshipped sun”. When he gets home he is locking himself in his room and shuts the windows “and makes himself an artificial night”. When Benvolio speaks to Romeo he finds out that Romeo is in love. But the person he loves does not love him back. The person Romeo loves is Rosaline.

Paris is a rich young man who is friends with Capulet and is asking for Capulet’s daughters hand in marriage. Capulet doesn’t want his only daughter to marry Paris yet because he thinks she is too young “my child is yet a stranger in the world” Paris’s argument is that “younger than she are happy mothers made”. I think that Capulet is right not to let Paris marry Juliet yet because Paris is quite a bit older than Juliet so I don’t think it would be right. Although I don’t know much about Shakespearean England or how old you had to be to get married. Capulet is going to host a party and he sends his servant out with the invitations. But Capulet's servant cannot read that well. Peter Capulet's servant asks Romeo a Montague if he could read the invitations out to him so he knows who to give them to. Benvolio takes advantage of this and asks Romeo if he wants to go. Benvolio advises Romeo to go to the party and see girls that are much better looking than Rosaline "I will make thee think thy swan a crow". Romeo agrees to go but to see Rosaline. This is probably a bad idea because if Romeo stalks Rosaline and she makes a seen he and his fellow Mantagues will be found in a Capulet party and would probably be killed.

Capulet is a good host because he welcomes his guests at the door. He also has mistresses for the men to walk around with. Capulet also enjoys himself in his party instead of worrying about every last thing. This would help his guests to relax. When Romeo first sees Juliet at the Capulet party he is stunned by her beauty. He starts to speak of how beautiful she is "it seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, as rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear" he also goes on to say how nothing or nobody can stand up to her beauty "so shows a snowy dove trooping with crows" and he finally sums it up by saying "for I ne'er saw true beauty till this night". Tybalt sees Romeo in the Capulet party and gets very angry "fetch me my rapier, boy". "To strike him dead I hold it not a sin". As Tybalt goes towards Romeo with his sword Capulet stops him and asks "why, how now, kinsman! Wherefore storm you so?" Tybalt tells Capulet about Romeo. Capulet then tells Tybalt to leave Romeo alone "Content thee gentle coz, let him alone". When Tybalt says he will not leave Romeo alone Capulet gets angry "He shall be endured!". The reason he wants Tybalt to leave Romeo alone is so that it doesn't ruin the party "you'll make a mutiny among my guests!". This scene shows how Capulet and Tybalt are different. Capulet thinks of the consequences of his actions before he goes through with them. Whereas Tybalt acts before he thinks of what might happen.

When Romeo and Juliet meet they start speaking in religious language "this holy shrine, the gentle pain is this". I think they speak in religious language because they think they love each other and know that the only person that can control love is god. Romeo finds out that Juliet is a Capulet when the nurse takes Juliet to her mother, the lady of the house. In Juliet's bed chamber the nurse tells Juliet that Romeo is a Montague. I think this is real love because the more you are in love. The bigger the hurdles you have to face. After the end of Act 1 Scene 5 the audience would probably get very excited because Romeo and Juliet have met and the story is about 2 get exciting.

Romeo feels so strongly about Juliet that when he is leaving the Capulet grounds with his friends he decides to flea into the woods of the Capulet grounds to go and see Juliet. Romeo finds Juliet’s bedchamber and starts calling to her. They recite poems to each other and have their first kiss.

After Romeo kills Tybalt he is band from the city. While out of the city he finds out that Juliet is dead and after hearing no news from Friar Laurance he fears the worst. Romeo then decides to kill himself because he thinks Juliet is dead. Romeo also thinks that the only way he can be reunited with Juliet is by killing himself. Juliet is actually only sleeping. But she was made to look dead because of the poison given to her by Friar Laurance. The reason Romeo didn't get the message was because the plague stopped Friar John getting the message to Romeo. Romeo went to an apothecary. An apothecary is a chemist who sells poison, drugs and other things like that. Romeo gets some poison off him Romeo then heads for the tomb with the poison.

When Romeo arrives at the tomb he sees Paris there. Paris tries to stop Romeo from entering because he thinks Romeo has come to ruin the tomb and body. When Paris stops Romeo thus Provoking Romeo "wilt thou provoke me" the two then fought. When Romeo kills Paris, Paris asks Romeo "if thou be merciful, Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet". This part shows us that Paris really did love Juliet but he was defeated by true love. Romeo then enters the tomb to see Juliet lying on the table in the middle of the room surrounded by flowers. Romeo enters the tomb and lay's Paris's body in there. Romeo sees Juliet and is stunned by her beauty "for here lies Juliet and her beauty make this vault a feasting presence full of light". Romeo decides that life is not worth living anymore and drinks the poison. I do not blame Romeo for killing himself because he wouldn't have had a life if he had lived. If Romeo had have lived he would not be able to see his family because they live in Varona. Romeo's best friend was dead and so was his true love. Also if that weren’t bad enough the law would have probably hunted him down and killed him because he had already killed two men. When Juliet wakes up Friar Laurance is there to tell Juliet that Romeo and Paris are dead. Friar Laurance then leaves knowing full well that Juliet is going to kill herself.

This play is concerned with the fate of two people (Romeo + Juliet). Some of the things in the play are very coincidental. Such as the way they meet, Romeo at the party, Tybalt getting killed by Romeo and the letter about Juliet not reaching Romeo. This is supposed to be the role of fate. Shakespeare probably wrote about fate in this way because it is what the Elizabethans thought fate was like. The Elizabethan's believed fate was like a wheel going around from good to bad. This explains Romeo marrying Juliet, Mercutio dieing, Romeo's wedding night with Juliet and then them both dieing. Fate is meant to be written in the stars so it is thought to be impossible to change it because you would have to move stars to change it. This could mean the couple were doomed from the start.

Some of the quotes suggest that the couple anything about their situation "a greater power than we can contradict" meaning the power at work was to powerful for them to compete against. I don't believe that Romeo and Juliet are helpless because I believe you make your own luck. I also believe that if they had not rushed into these things might have turned out differently. This is why I think Romeo and Juliet themselves are biggest to blame for their own deaths.