Whom do you feel is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

        I think even, though Paris is only trying to make his future a happy one, he manages to be part of the cause of the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Paris loves and admires Juliet, although it isn’t his fault he causes Juliet difficulties with her family. Paris wasn’t in the wrong for having feelings towards Juliet. However, if Paris had not been Juliet’s suitor then Old Capulet would not have forced Juliet to marry Paris. Paris doesn’t no but if he had not pressed his suit, then Old Capulet would not of been forcing Juliet into marriage. Old Capulet even held a mass ball for Juliet and Paris, only for Juliet to fall in love with an enemy; a Montague; Romeo.

        The Friar is a neutral person, and his place is the neutral meeting place for Romeo and Juliet. I believe that Friar Lawrence could have stopped at least Juliet’s death, if only he did not dessert Juliet at the crucial moment, in the tomb when she wakes up to find Romeo dead, because he was too much of a coward and scared of people finding him out. Friar Lawrence is like a father to Romeo as the Nurse is like a mother to Juliet. Romeo and Juliet both go to the Friar for help and Friar Lawrence is the person who marries them in secret. I think that the Friar believes he is helping matters by marrying Romeo and Juliet as he thought that it would reunite the two families. He tries to help again when Juliet wants a way of escaping marrying Paris by giving her a sleeping potion. All went well with the potion but the message via Friar John was unable to be delivered owing to an outbreak of plague in Mantua. Friar Lawrence’s intentions were good, even though I believe that he has to take a reasonable proportion of the blame for Juliet’s death.

        The nurse was the go between, between Romeo and Juliet, if she hadn’t been the messenger, then they wouldn’t of got married as she delivered the proposal of marriage from Romeo to Juliet. She let Juliet down at the vital moments. The Nurse acts as a substitute mother to Juliet just as the Friar did to Romeo; she is Juliet’s confidante and personal servant. She is a comical person but her actions are serious at the same time. She keeps the marriage a secret, but after Romeo’s banishment, Juliet is at her wits ends and the Nurse just says

        “I think it best you married the with the County. O he’s a lovely gentlemen…Paris”

At these words Juliet’s closeness with the Nurse changes as before Juliet could speak to the Nurse and no one else, now she had been betrayed and was on her own. The Nurse has no empathy towards Juliet’s depth of love and deep feelings for Romeo. She has a totally pragmatic solution at this crucial time when Juliet has nobody else to turn to, or depend on. As she lets Juliet down, Juliet excludes the Nurse, keeping her in the dark and turns to the Friar’s plan. I feel that the Nurse is partly to blame for the deaths but not as much as some of the other people.

        I personally do not feel that Romeo and Juliet are to blame for there own deaths. I also believe that Romeo and Juliet are not in the wrong for falling in love with each other, as they can’t help whom they fall for or they parents or the fact that their parents are still holding that “ancient grudge”.

However, I do believe that fate has a large part to play in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet as they are “two star -crossed lovers take their lives”. This play is a tragedy so the hero and heroine have to die. On the way to the ball Romeo had a strange premonition that things would turn bad. There is lots of co-incidence that could of caused the deaths such as:

• If Benvolio had not invited Romeo to the Capulet mass ball…
• If Tybalt hadn’t recognised Romeo…
• If Romeo had given up on the idea of Juliet when he found she was a Capulet…
• If Juliet had given up on the idea of Romeo when she found out he was a Montague…
• If the balcony scene had never occurred…
• If Friar Lawrence had never married them secretly…
• If Paris hadn’t asked for the hand of Juliet in marriage…
• If Old Capulet hadn’t forced the marriage of Paris and Romeo…
• If the message had got through via Friar John…
• If Balthasar hadn’t delivered the message so quickly…
• If the Nurse wasn’t in the dark about the sleeping potion…
• If Friar Lawrence had been quicker to the tomb to intercept Romeo taking the poison…
• If Friar Lawrence had stayed with Juliet rather than running off…
• If Juliet had woken up before Romeo took the poison…
• If the Montague’s and Capulet's had settled their feud…

All of these things are due to fate, so fate drives this play.

        Although it was a “fate” driven plot, I feel that both Romeo and Juliet should take some responsibility for their own actions and ultimately their deaths. They are both of  “age” and in the society where they live in, to be able to choose. Their chose was to die despite other people’s contribution to their choices. The ultimate responsibility must lie with them.