In the sixth scene of the second act, the Friar does try to help Romeo and Juliet after he has married them by urging them to take their relationship slowly after such a hasty marriage, so that their marriage will last, as divorces between couples was unheard of during that period, and was socially frowned upon. The following quotation shows the advice the Friar gave:
‘Therefore love moderately, long love doth so;
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.’
Act 2 Scene 6
Later in the play, when Juliet learns that she is supposed to marry Paris, she becomes very desperate, as she knows that she would be sinning, because she is already married to Romeo. She becomes so desperate, that she is willing to commit suicide if the Friar cannot provide any help to her. However, the Friar does not try to aid her in the conventional way a monk should, but offers her an extremely radical solution to try to solve the problem that she is faced with. His plan is for Juliet to take a potion the night before she is to be married to Paris, which will make her appear to be dead for the period of twenty-four hours. The morning of her wedding, she will be found to be supposedly dead, and will be buried in the Capulet monument, where the remains of all of her kin lye. After being asleep for the twenty-four hour period, Juliet will awake to find that Romeo will be with her, and ready to take her to Mantua where he had been banished to after slaying Tybalt.
The Friar’s plan seems to be extremely radical, but had the possibility of working, however, the Friar doe not consider all of the possible things that could go wrong. The plan relies too heavily on everything going exactly according to plan; otherwise it could end in the deaths of many people, including Romeo, Juliet and the Friar himself. A few of the things that could go wrong are that if the potion didn’t work, then Juliet would have to marry Paris, which would mean that she would be sinning, as she is already married to Romeo, but the Friar would also be sinning as he knows that Juliet is already married, and so would be conducting another marriage ceremony including an already married woman. However, the Friar did not see the plan as being as dangerous as it was, because he had a great wealth of knowledge in the properties that plants possess, and so thought the potion would definitely work. The Friar assured Juliet that if she did as he instructed, then everything would turn out fine, without her having to resort to committing suicide. He (the Friar) told her that he would inform Romeo (who was banished to Mantua after he slew Tybalt) of what he intended, so that he could come and meet her at the appropriate hour, which is shown in the following quotation spoken by the Friar:
‘In the mean time, against thou shalt wake,
Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,’
Act 4 Scene 1
Juliet is reassured by the confidence that the Friar has that the plan will work, and agrees to take the potion on the eve of her wedding. The plan goes as anticipated with the potion working perfectly, making Juliet appear to be dead. She is buried in the Capulet monument, as the Friar said along with the rest of her deceased kin. The Friar sends a letter to Romeo in Mantua, as he said he would, but the letter is delayed, and Romeo never receives the message of the plan. When the Friar receives the news that his first letter was delayed, he writes another, but he never considers the fact that Romeo may already know about Juliet being dead from his friends who still live in Verona. As the Friar does not consider this, or other consequences of what would happen if things did not go according to plan, but only considers the positive aspects if everything goes according to plan. This again shows the Friar to be irresponsible, like when he agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet in order to unite their families, and end the ancient feud, but never considers the fact that they have known each other for less than twenty-four hours, or the fact that Romeo was infatuated with Rosaline until the previous day. The fact that the Friar does not go to Mantua personally to locate and inform Romeo, but chooses to go to the Capulet monument where Juliet would soon be awake. This shows the Friar to be insincere, as earlier in the book, he seems to be a much better friend to Romeo, then to Juliet, so he should go to inform Romeo of the plan, instead of going to find Juliet when she awakes. The Friar chooses to go to Juliet, as shown in the below quotation:
‘Now must I to the monument alone;
Within this three hours will fair Juliet wake.’
Act 5 Scene 2
Throughout the whole play, the Friar does not consider the consequences of his actions, but only considers that whatever he does will go as planned, but this never seems to happen. This makes him an irresponsible influence on both Romeo and Juliet, which could be one of the reasons why they committed suicide. If the Friar had considered the consequences of all of his actions that he performed in the play, then he could have helped to avert the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
In the ultimate scene of the play, the Friar shows that not only is he an irresponsible influence upon both Romeo and Juliet, but is also a self-centred coward. He goes along with his decision of going to the Capulet monument to be there when Juliet awakes, and when she awakes, he immediately tells her of the deaths of both Romeo, and also of Paris. He is unsympathetic, and tells her he will put her in a convent away from the world, so that she does not bring disgrace and dishonour upon her family, but more importantly in the Friar’s case, does not tell anyone of the actions the Friar had taken in assisting Juliet’s marriage to Romeo. After this brief session of informing Juliet that her husband is dead, and that she should join a convent, the Friar abandons her in a vault full of all of Juliet’s kin, including now both Paris and Romeo, as he is too afraid of being caught as the scene, as it would disgrace the Church, but more importantly the Friar thinks that he would be in trouble, which is shown from the following quotation:
‘Stay not to question, for the watch is coming;
Come, go, good Juliet
I dare no longer stay.’
Act 5 Scene 3
The Friar’s true nature becomes apparent before his exit in this scene. He seems to not so much care of how Juliet is feeling at the moment, but is more concerned about the fact that she does not tell anyone about the part the Friar played in the story. The Friar leaves Juliet in a fragile state after quickly telling her of the tragic events that had taken place in the twenty-four hours that she was asleep. The Friar does not see that Juliet is distraught by what he has just told her, but insists that she leaves with him, so that none of them are caught. When she insists on staying, he abandons her without considering how she might be feeling, which shows that the Friar is parsimonious.
Another character that I think has a large part to play in the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet is the Nurse. The Nurse is very close to Juliet, much closer than Juliet’s mother is with her daughter, because the Nurse lost her child at the same time that Juliet was born, so she has a particular attachment to her, treating Juliet as if she was actually her daughter. Juliet’s Nurse was the one who brought up Juliet, ever since she was a baby, which is the basis of their apparently close bond. The Nurse always wants the best for Juliet, and Juliet confides in the Nurse, as she has no-one else to turn to, as her mother does not know her daughter, because she never spent enough time with her, and her father appears to be more concerned in Juliet’s future, then in her emotional welfare. As Juliet trusts the Nurse, and the Nurse always wants to do what will be the best for Juliet, she becomes an intermediary between the two of them, delivering the messages that they have for one another.
The Nurse considers that Juliet will be happy if she marries Romeo, so becomes the messenger between the two of them, helping to arrange the marriage, even though she already knows that Juliet is set to be marrying Paris in the future. The Nurse seems to want the best for Juliet, and is pleased with the choice she has made for a husband. As she thinks that Romeo will make Juliet happy, she even helps to arrange Romeo to enter Juliet’s bedroom on the night of their wedding to spend the night together as husband and wife. Her devotion to Juliet is sown in the following quotation, where she delivers the news of what Romeo says about their marriage:
‘Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence’ cell,
There stays a husband to make you a wife.’
Act 2 Scene 5
The Nurse is employed by Capulet and Lady Capulet to look after their daughter Juliet, so the Nurse’s priorities should be with what they want for her child. The Nurse should really inform them of the events that occurred between Romeo and Juliet on the night of the masquerade ball at the Capulet household, but does not. the Nurse is really no more than an employee of the Capulets, and should act befittingly. She never once tries to prevent Romeo and Juliet being together, but encourages the actions that they are taking, and supporting them. She is the only way that the two of them (Romeo and Juliet) can communicate with one another, so if she refused to help them, then both Romeo and Juliet might still be alive. The fact that the Nurse does nothing to stop Juliet’s marriage to Romeo shows that she was betraying the trust of her employers, the Capulets, even if she thought that she was doing the best thing to ensure that Juliet was happy.
In the fifth scene of the third act, Juliet comes to the Nurse for some kind of counsel after she tells her parents that she will not marry Paris, and is scorned, hit and cast aside by them. The Nurse was present at the time this happened, and tried to prevent Capulet from hitting Juliet, but she herself is hit instead. The Nurse is fearful of Capulet, so advises Juliet to marry Paris, even though she has already been married to Romeo. She insists that Juliet will be happier with Paris, and encourages her to marry him without getting a divorce, which shows that the Nurse is not devoted to Juliet’s happiness as was suggested earlier in the book. The Nurse’s betrayal of both Juliet, by telling her to marry Paris, and not attempting to help her to see Romeo, and also her betrayal of the Capulets, by not telling them of the actions that Romeo and Juliet have carried out shows that her loyalty does not really lye with either of them, but fluctuates. The Nurse says that Romeo is nothing in comparison to Paris, when encouraging her to marry him, which is shown from the following quotation:
‘Romeo’s a dishclout to him. An eagle madam,
Hath not so green, so quick, so fair an eye
As Paris hath. Beshrew my very heart,
I think you are happy in your second match,
For it excels your first’
Act 3 Scene 5
When Juliet lost the loyalty and understanding of the one person that she had really trusted and depended on in her life, she went to the Friar Laurence to try to seek an alternative to marrying Paris, and committing a serious sin. In this way, the Nurse bears responsibility for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, as she is not supportive of Juliet when she is most in need of it. Also, the Nurse never considers the consequences of what would happen if the marriage between Romeo and Juliet was discovered. She tries to make Juliet happy, but her lack of supportiveness and her irresponsibility towards the advice she gives Juliet could be reasons why she is to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths.
I also think that Romeo is to blame for his own, and his beloved Juliet’s deaths in some respects. Romeo is the only son of Montague and Lady Montague, who leads a very care-free lifestyle in which he spends much of his time dreaming. However, when Romeo is motivated, or shocked, he can be very impulsive and intense, as he seems to have a lack of patience throughout the play. Romeo seems to be quite intelligent in the play, as he speaks with very sophisticated language, which combined with his good looks makes him extremely popular with people of the opposite sex. However, his feelings for the opposite sex do seem to be fickle at times, as he abandons his love for Rosaline as soon as he sees Juliet, which is apparent from the following quotation:
‘Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.’
Act 1 Scene 5
Romeo’s impulsiveness is clear, because as soon as he sees Juliet, he tries to go and win her over. Juliet is younger, and has lived a much more sheltered lifestyle than Romeo, so when Romeo uses sweet poetry and his good looks to try to win her over, she is not aware of how she should react to such advances. Later that night on Juliet’s balcony, Juliet tells Romeo that if he wants to have her, then he will have to marry her, and he agrees. This hasty proposal may have been influenced by Romeo’s forwardness with Juliet – something which is a new experience for her, as she has never had such interaction with members of the opposite sex before.
Another reason why Romeo is responsible for the deaths of himself and Juliet is because his impulsiveness can sometimes combine with other emotions that he is feeling, such as rage. An example of this is after Tybalt had slain Mercutio (Romeo’s best friend), Romeo immediately challenges him to a duel without thinking of the consequences of his actions, considering the fact that Tybalt is now his cousin-in-law. This is evident from the following quotation, which Romeo said:
‘That late thou gav’st me; for Mercutio’s soul
Is but a little way above our heads,
Straying for thine to keep him company:
Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him.’
Act 3 Scene 1
The fact that Romeo charged into a duel with Tybalt is a reason why he is responsible for his own death, as well as the death of Juliet, as he never considered the consequences of fighting his own cousin-in-law, or even killing him. If he had restrained his anger, and now fought with Tybalt, then Tybalt would have either been banished from Verona, or sentenced to death, which meant that Romeo and Juliet would not be separated, and therefore not ended up committing suicide.
Romeo’s impulsiveness also combined with his feeling of grief when he heard from Balthasar that Juliet was dead caused him to rush to Verona to see the sight for himself. he never considered what would happen when he entered Verona, as he was already banished from there for slaying Tybalt. Romeo is desperate and confused that someone who he had loved so dearly had been taken away from him in an instant, which is shown from the following quotation he says:
‘Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight.
Let’s see for means. O mischief, thou art swift
To enter in the thoughts of desperate men.’
Act 5 Scene 1
Romeo knows what he is going to do when he reached the Capulet monument, but has no idea of the consequences of his actions, such as how his family would feel when they heard the news of his death. Romeo is so impulsive, and also frustrated about how he has lost his love so quickly that he kills Paris when he sees him there at the Capulet monument. If he had been able to control his fiery temperament, and have some patience, as well as considering the consequences of what he does, then maybe he would still be alive, and so would his dear Juliet.
Overall, I think that the Nurse is the least to blame of the three characters aforementioned, as she thought that she was acting in the best interests of Juliet when she made decisions, or tried to counsel Juliet over what t do when situations arose. She wanted to see Juliet get married, as she considered Juliet to be as good as her own daughter. An example of when she said this is the following quotation:
‘Thou were the prettiest babe that e’er I nursed:
An I might to see thee married once,
I have my wish’
Act 1 Scene 3
I think that the Nurse was only doing what she considered to be right, and the best for Juliet, so I think that she can be excused, as she does not have the same amount of blame as either Romeo, or Friar Laurence.
I also think that Romeo was not the most to blame for his own death, as well as the death of his beloved Juliet, as he thought that he was in love with her. All of his actions, excluding the killing of Tybalt can be directly related to the fact that he was in love with Juliet. He can also be excused for killing Tybalt, even though he was his cousin-in-law, as Tybalt had slain his best friend Mercutio, who he loved dearly. Romeo was not the one who instigated the fight with Tybalt, as he knew that he was now his cousin-in-law. Romeo refused to fight Tybalt, and tried to resolve their differences peacefully, as shown by the following quotation:
‘Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage
To such a greeting. Villain am I none.
Therefore farewell; I see thou know’st me not.’
Act 3 Scene 1
The person that I believe carries that greatest amount of blame regarding the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet is the Friar Laurence. He was the person who could have totally altered the outcome of play by refusing to marry Romeo and Juliet, or at least make them wait to marry one another to show that they are devoted enough to wait to be married, instead of rush into a hasty marriage. If the Friar had not been so confident in everything he told Romeo and Juliet to do (such as marrying them, and therefore uniting their families, or the plan about Juliet taking the potion) but had considered the consequences of his actions, or considered what could wrong, then he could have advised Romeo and Juliet better about what to do. If the Friar had not agreed to immediately marry Romeo and Juliet, or had made the effort to go to Mantua to inform Romeo of his plan to allow them (Romeo and Juliet) to be together, then he would have been able to prevent the whole tragedy. The Friar was too self-centred to consider the repercussions of his actions, and wanted to be the man responsible for the unification between the two families, which is something that was eventually achieved due to the loss of Romeo and Juliet’s lives.
