Romeo has a lot of support from friends along with Friar Laurence, where as Juliet is on her own and has to make her own decisions, with the Nurse contributing little or no help.
Romeo’s parents appear very thoughtful and affectionate, but Juliet’s parents, mainly Lady Capulet, are very cold hearted and heartless, they force Juliet into marrying Paris without giving her a selection. “She shall be married to this noble earl”. (Act 3 Scene 4) Juliet visits Friar Laurence and is pleased to about his plans for herself and Romeo as she is at this time distressed at the thought of having to marry Paris for she says
“Oh bid me leap, rather than marry Paris
From of the battlements of any tower”. (Act 4 Scene 1)
Friar Laurences arrangement for Romeo and Juliet was that Juliet was to take a potion to make her appear dead on her wedding day she would then be taken to the Capulets’ tomb meanwhile after receiving a letter from the Friar, Romeo would return to Verona from Mantua, and would be with Juliet when she awakes. Juliet was very satisfied to obtain the potion from Friar Laurence
“Give me, give me! Oh tell me not of fear! (Act 4 Scene 1)
The Friar is a man with good intentions but is persuaded to make chancy decisions by Romeo and Juliet, such as agreeing to marry them lacking their parents’ authorization. I imagine he gets too concerned and it is then left up to him to guarantee that the whole thing goes as smoothly as planned.
He goes behind the backs of Juliet’s parents by agreeing to marry Romeo and Juliet yet he has a fine cause for this. “To turn your households rancour to pure love”, to reconcile the two feuding families. Though the Friar is anxious about what he is doing, “These violent delights have violent ends”, the plan to settle the families rapidly comes to anguish as Romeo is banished. This occasion he makes a new plan that is as hazardous as the former. Romeo is to go to Mantua where he will then attempt to organize a meeting between Romeo and Juliet. The plan goes incorrectly and he accuses destiny, “Unhappy Fortune”.
Juliet, who now faces the rest of her time with Paris turns to the Friar for a answer, he gives her with a “sleeping potion” which she uses to make it seem like she is deceased. I believe it is reasonable to state that Friar Laurence is one of the key people to hold responsible for the disaster, as it was his plans that went wrong. But from Romeo and Juliet’s outlook he was very obliging and forever had a resolution for their dilemmas
The Nurse is one of Juliet’s closest acquaintances, apart from Romeo. She is not predominantly intelligent or sensitive and does nothing to caution Juliet of how an interest with a Montague might cause trouble to Juliet and her relatives. In Act 1 Scene 3 when Lady Capulet is discussing the option of wedding to Paris she makes jokes and finds it incredibly humorous, “A bump as big as a young cockerels stone”. Even though the Nurse may be very simple minded and chatty she is very fond and affectionate of Juliet
“Well sir my mistress is the sweetest lady” (Act 2 Scene 4)
The Nurse appears to have got too carried away with the circumstances with Romeo and is keen for Juliet to marry, but she offers no guidance or warning to what Juliet is undertaking, even though she undoubtedly knows that Juliet is youthful and innocent. She makes no attempt to put propose that this will be a problem. Similar to Friar Laurence she goes behind her employers’ backs performing as Romeo and Juliet’s messenger, such as when she is questioned by Juliet to find out Romeo’s identity. At first the Nurse admires Romeo, “Why he’s a man of wax” (Act 1 Scene 3), but warns him not to direct Juliet into a “fools paradise” (Act 2 Scene 4), mainly because Juliet is young.
Mercutio is a lively character that tries to resolve Romeo’s problems and advise him in a light-hearted way, he says to Romeo,
“Thy wit is a very bitter sweeting; it is a most sharp sauce.”
He is faithful to Romeo in the way he steps in as Tybalt challenges Romeo. His loss is a turning point in the play as Romeo, and then takes revenge of his death by killing Tybalt. I think perhaps that Mercutio ought not have joined in, but being that kind of individual he did. I do not think he can be to given the fault for the tragedy as neither Tybalt or Mercutio knew of Romeo and Juliet’s care for each other. What's more Tybalt would almost certainly have battled Romeo anyhow and one of them could have been killed.
There is no one person to blame for the deaths, but Friar Laurence had complicated plans which if has gone as first thought would have succeeded but because the letter was not received by Romeo he did not know of the plans, so when Balthasar told him the news he did not know that Juliet had died so he commit suicide.
I do not think fate played a part in the tragedy because the characters made too many mistakes.
By Sam Fowler
