Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin and loyal to the Capulet family, despised Romeo. From act 3 scene 1 we find a chain reaction of events that have a big impact on the story. Tybalt has disliked Romeo since he turned up at the Capulet party invited and he wants to challenge Romeo to a duel but Romeo speaks “I protest do. I never injure thee, but love than thou canst devise.” This is because Romeo has just married Juliet and speaks to Tybalt in this way because he now, in fact is related to him. Mecutio then steps in because whether Romeo fought Tybalt or not Tybalt was going to kill him. Mecutio wants to protect his friend and can’t understand himself why Romeo says he loves Tybalt like a brother. “And so good Capulet, name I tender as dearly as my own, be satisfied. There is duel between Mecutio and Tybalt and unfortunately Mecutio s killed by Tybalt. Enraged by this Romeo then kills Tybalt. The last words of Mecutio add to the fate of Romeo and Juliet “A plague on both your houses!” Romeo’s killing of Tybalt leads to Prince Escalus banishing Romeo from Verona. This banishment led Romeo to go to Mantua, where he was expected to stay. This meant Romeo could hardly see Juliet. So, Tybalt started this chain reaction and so has some blame for the deaths.
Also to blame is Prince Escalus. Having banished Romeo it makes his love affair with Juliet impossible, but again this is because of Tybalt. “And for that offence immediately do we exile him hence.”
Juliet is also to blame for her own death because she should of had more sense than to take the potion. She just presumed everything would work out after she awoke, she never thought what kind of problems there might be later. “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo, here’s drink- I drink to thee.” What she didn’t realise this caused so much confusion. The plan worked with the family and indeed got her out of marring Paris but Romeo believed she was actually dead. This was due to the problem of the letter informing Romeo of the plan. Friar Laurence told Juliet he would contact Romeo via letter. “Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift”. The letter was unable to Romeo because there was an outbreak of plague. Friar John who was meant to of delivered the letter had had visited people who had died of the plague and the towns health officials would not let him pass. “ Suspecting that we both were in a house where the infectious pestilence did reign, seal’d up the doors, and would not let us forth.”
There was secrecy surrounding this potion plan, only two people knew about it Friar Laurence and Juliet herself. When Balthasar heard what had happened to Juliet he rushed to see Romeo. The bad planning of the letter sent to Romeo informing him of this had not been received, so Romeo was unaware of this plan. Balthasar gave Romeo the bad news “The she is well and nothing can be ill; Her body sleeps in Capulet Monument.”
Balthasar is the start of another chain of events. Romeo, heart broken by the news, rushes to be with Juliet and goes to an Apothecary. The Apothecary is to blame for Romeo’s death because he gave him the poison. “ If you have the strength of twenty men, it would dispatch you straight.” Romeos state of mind at the time was very confused, alone and scared. His hope and love for seeing Juliet again was what was keeping him going. It was shattering news for him. By the law of Verona Romeo should off been killed for killing Tybalt so Romeo was let off lightly by just being exiled. While buying the poison Romeo was just thinking, let me be with Juliet, he didn’t care about the consequences of going back to Verona. He wanted to be dead.
Romeo is to blame for Juliet’s death because he had the dagger that in the en killed her. If he hadn’t had that on him she may never of thought of killing herself there. “O happy dagger, this thee sheath, there rust and let me die.” Romeo is to blame in Juliet’s death not only because he had the dagger that in the end killed her but also it was him that first suggested rushing into the marriage. Juliet had not even thought about marriage when her Mother first enquired, “It is an honour that I dream not of” she replied.
The main events within the story to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet begin in act 1 scene 5 the party scene where Romeo and Juliet first met. If there was no party they would never have met. If Romeo had followed his instinct and not gone to the party the doomed romance would not have happened. Mecutio could be blamed by forcing Romeo to go to the party, “If love be rough with you be rough with love.” The other important event in Romeo and Juliet is act 2 scene 8, their wedding. If that hadn’t taken place then there would have been less trouble when told about marrying Paris. This is because Romeo would have remained a fantasy for Juliet and she could of forgotten about him and in time learned to love Paris. Being married now everything was made so difficult.
Shakespeare uses stagecraft through out the play; through very little stage directions are given to how the play and scenes should be acted. Two particular scenes that are important are act 2 scene 5 and act 3 scene 4. Act 2 scene 5 is the scene where some comedy is used to forget about all the tragedy that is happening. This scene brakes up the story so it isn’t all doom and gloom throughout the play. 2:5 is where the Nurse has just been to see Romeo about the wedding and Juliet is desperate to know what has happened. The Nurse pretends to be tired and pretends to Juliet that that she has nothing to tell. “I am weary, give me leave awhile”, Juliet is becoming increasing impatient in this scene and we see a different side to her character, in the beginning of the play a sweet timid child, but now becoming slightly annoyed and impatient with the Nurse. Juliet is annoyed by the Nurse now telling her anything and picks up on when the Nurse contradicts herself. “Do you not see I am out of breath?” (Nurse) “How art thou out of breath when thou hast breath to say to me that thou art out of breath?” (Juliet).
Act 3 scene 4 is an important scene because even though it is very short it is a relevant scene. Capulet is accepting Paris’ proposal but only the audience know that Juliet is already married. Consequently in the following scene Juliet does not want to marry Pars and refuses her Father. This tears the household. Consequences of this scene are it leads Juliet to want to take her own life when she goes to see Friar Laurence. “ And with this knife I’ll help it presently.” Friar Laurence persuades her to take the potion instead. This scene has an impact on the audience because you can see from this scene onwards that for Romeo and Juliet things can only get worse. Being such a short scene the audience cannot forget bits of information said, the scene is straight to the point. If the scene was any longer the audience may forget what the purpose of the scene was. Capulet was accepting Paris’ proposal.
Throughout Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare uses a variety of language features, for example speeches, blank verse, puns and sonnets. Each of these features gives a desired effect. For example “O doth she teach torches to turn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night.” Quotes from Romeo in act 1 scene 5 lines 43-44. The next ten lines are also in rhyming couplets and it’s when Romeo has first met Juliet. Shakespeare chose to use this language feature because it is poetry and sounds very beautiful. Romeo has met a beautiful girl and he wants to show his feelings through his words.
Throughout the play there are many puns. This is play on words, which creates humour in the play. 2:4 is full of them, for example “ And in such a case as mine may stand courtesy.” Here using the word courtesy as curtsy. Romeo uses oxy morons in act 1 scene 1. “O brawling love! O loving hate! O heavy lightness! Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health.” Comparing two opposites in this way gives the effect of confused and mixed feelings, which is certainly how Romeo feels about Rolasline, the person he is thinking about.
Shakespeare uses fate and destiny throughout the play in nearly every scene to hint about the tragedy to come. Act 1 scene 1 the Princes ultimatum saying that if the constant feuding continued it would end in death for the people responsible. Act 1 scene 4 Romeo speaks of “Some consequence yet hanging in the stars.” This means that some is destined in the stars but has not yet been revealed. In the same scene he speaks “By some vile forfeit of untimely death” which means early death. Indications throughout the play are used to show what the fate of the two lovers is.
The tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet are the faults of characters whether the part big or small they still continued the chain reaction of events. But they have no one to blame for their deaths in the end but themselves because it was them that in the end killed themselves, Romeo by the poison and Juliet by the dagger. No one told Romeo to take the poison, or even buy it. It was Romeo that eventually killed himself. Again no one told Juliet to stab herself after she saw Romeo dead. She could off got on with her life and one day find some else she could marry. At least in the end at least they died together and could rest in peace. They could at last b together without anyone watching them and do what they liked and they would be together for eternity. If things were better planned and they had better technology, like we have today then things could have been very different. Society back in 1599 found communicating and organising was complex. The mobile phone would have been very practical, sending messages via phones to each other. In the end, though, there “never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”