Who or what is to blame for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

Juliet in this aspect is very much like Romeo. She often does not think of the consequences of her actions although not as much as Romeo. She however does not blame fate but the feud and the fact that she is a Capulet and is often complaining, "What's in a name? That we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet." She is only 13 years old and she does risky and brave things. She risks cutting herself off from her family by marrying to her parents' archenemies son. She is very passionate she would rather kill herself than live without Romeo. She is also quite rebellious but also quite afraid of her parents and until she met Romeos she hated the Montague's and has a huge love for her family and she mourned horribly after Tybult's death.

Friar Lawrence has a lot to answer for in the death of Romeo and Juliet. He organises the wedding and the plans that go so terribly wrong that results in the death of Romeo and Juliet. His will is good though, he hopes that the marriage will stop the feuds between the families as he says in act 2 scene 3 "in one respect I'll thy assistant be. For this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households rancour into pure love" but he not always such the optimist his hoping this will work but he kind of knows that it will go wrong "These violent delights have violent ends". He often does not think of the risks involved. The plan to fake Juliet's death was very risky in many ways, even if Juliet had woken earlier Romeo could have easily got killed by Paris or a guard. Very often his hopes desires take over from what he knows will happen.

The nurse is a bit stupid she never stops talking. She likes to thinks that she is really important and loves attention. At first she supports Juliet with Romeo but then changes her mind against it. She never supplies any helpful advice, she often raves on for 30 lines without any actual help. Often other characters get very annoyed often telling he to shut up "enough of this, I pray thee, hold thy peace" (act 1 scene 3 line 50). It is possible to argue that with better advise from the nurse who is probably the closest to Juliet such rash measures might not have been taken and the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet might never have happened.

Benvolio is peaceful influence in the play. He is Romeo's cousin and good friend, but seems the exact opposite he thinks through his actions and tries to stay out of trouble and fights as well as stops them "part fools put up you swords you know not what to do." And he looks after his friends "I pray the good Mercusio lets retire: the day is hot, the Capulets are abroad and if we meet we shall not escape a brawl". He is definitely not to blame for the tragedy at the end of the play.

Tybult is very much to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. He loves to fight. "What drawn and talk of peace! I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montegues, and thee." He seems to have no morals, when Romeo splits the fight between Mercusio and Tybult Tybult stabbed Mercusio under Romeo's arm, if it was not for this cold action Romeo would not have reacted in such away and would not have been exiled from Verona and then the whole ending would not have happened as it did.

Mercusio is very close to Romeo and the Montegue family. Hew really enjoys winding up the Capulets, particularly Tybult who he nicknamed "The Prince of Cats" after a cat character in a popular children's story of the time. He is willing to fight all challenges including Tybult when he was trying to find Romeo. He is the first to die in the play and it arguably Romeo's fault as Tybult kills Mercusio under Romeo's arm. As he dies he shows the true fault of the play, "a plague a'both your houses! They have made worms meat of me." Mercusio is the victim of the feud but he has made himself a victim of it and is in part to blame for it as are all the other that are involved in the same way.

The prince in charge of Verona could be seen to be to blame. He threatens the families with the death penalty but he never carries it out and so starts to pay little attention to him and his watch. He is still seen as a symbol of power though, you can see this by Lord Capulet's eagerness to marry his daughter Juliet to Paris a close relative of the prince. You could argue that his cowardness let the feud run on, he said it himself "and for wrinkling as your discords too have, lost a brace of kinsmen" but he is very upset about the whole thing but see the irony of it "a gloomy peace this gloomy morning brings" are some of the last words of the play.

The feud is very much to blame for the deaths; in fact it is entirely to blame. The feud turned the two families aginst each other. They had forgotten what they were quarrelling about and now they just fight. It is highly probable that without some of the characters Romeo and Juliet may not have died but some others would and it may have gone on longer than it did. People like Tybult may not have been the horrible character that he is without been driven by the feud. /everything else could have been there but if the families lived in complete harmony there would have been no fights and no deaths.

There are a huge amount of ideas why the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet happened. Romeo is very likely cause he is very passionate and hasty. If he was not so hasty and slowed down the deaths of Romeo and Juliet may never have happened. Juliet is also very passionate and is very much like Romeo and risks her life at the end when she takes a sleeping potion. This plan was one of Friar Lawrence's who was also in part to blame for Romeo and Juliet's deaths. If he had offered better advise Romeo and Juliet may not have died. The same can be said for the nurse who was very close to Juliet and very much as parent character to her. Both Tybult and Mercusio are looking for trouble whilst Tybult actually goes to fight Mercusio provokes it. The prince could have taken bigger and harder steps to stop the fights. He was too cowardly and if he more conviction in what he did the tragedy may not have happened but all these are victims of the feud. I Romeo and Juliet had not died others would have.