Why did Romeo and Juliet die? Consider the major factors which may have played at in their death and comment on which you think is the most significant.

Why did Romeo and Juliet die?

Consider the major factors which may have played at in their death and comment on which you think is the most significant.

“From forth the fatal loins of these to foes

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife.”

From the opening scenes of the play it is made clear that these two children of the feuding families were destined to fall in love and eventually die together, but was it the actions of their friends that brought about their deaths or could it be that their deaths were just inevitable?

Most people choose to believe that they have a sense of responsibility and can control their own lives; they suppose that their problems are caused by their own actions or by those influencing them. In my opinion though, Romeo and Juliet had no control what so ever, fate brought them together – their lives were already mapped out for them and there was nothing to impair this.

Romeo and Juliet could not have avoided coming in contact with each other, they were brought together by uncontrollable circumstances (fate).

There were many events that conspired against Romeo and Juliet, for example the family feud. The brawl in Act 1 Scene 1 is ceased by Prince Escales who said

“If you ever disturb our streets again,

Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.”

However the Prince failed to stay loyal to his word, Romeo’s banishment and the fate involved with it is a prime factor in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. In Act1 Scene1 the Prince’s words were quite the contrary. Was it intentional that a man of such high standard would go back on his word? However, if Mercutio had not taunted Tybalt in town whilst out with Romeo and Benvolio, Romeo would never of got into his fight with Tybalt and therefore would not have been banished. Perhaps, however, the fight initiated by Mercutio that hapless day was inevitable: could it be that Romeo was somehow destined to be exiled?

Romeo’s famous words in Act3 Scene1 signify the point in the play where the tragedy really begins.

“This day’s black fate on moe days doth depend

This but begins the woe others must end”

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Romeo’s famous words in Act3 Scene1 signify the point in the play where the tragedy really begins.

“This day’s black fate on moe days doth depend

This but begins the woe others must end”

Romeo’s exile poisons all possibility of happiness for himself and Juliet. His exile causes Juliet great sorrow, greater than if he had been executed. Her parents, Lord and Lady Capulet were oblivious to the fact that Juliet was pining for Romeo and not Tybalt. They did not even consider her feelings when arranging her marriage to Paris, but why were they so determined? Was it because they loved their daughter and wanted to see her happy? No, Capulet only agreed to the marriage because Paris was of a higher status than them, so it would increase theirs in turn. Capulet did not care whether Juliet loved him or not, for she did not have a choice of whom she was to be married to. As a consequence of Capulets determination he drove his daughter to her own death. Was this deliberate or just fate?

In my opinion it was fate, which caused the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. In the Oxford Dictionary fate is the ‘inevitable destiny or necessity destined term of life; doom.’ Basically fate can be described as a preplanned sequence of events influencing one’s life. Fate was the sole contributor to the deaths of the young lovers but there are more possibilities that I have to consider before I make my final decision.

Chance and coincidence played a small part in the play, during the course of Act1 Scene2, the contrary happened, and happened by chance. As Romeo and Benvolio were nearing a public area a Capulet servant stopped them. After Romeo had read the guest list to the Capulet party Benvolio suggested that to relieve himself from the sadness for Rosaline, Romeo should attend the party and compare Rosaline’s beauty to the other female guests. An example of coincidence is evident here. If Rosaline had not been attending, Benvolio would not have encouraged Romeo attend which lead to him meeting Juliet. The encounter with the servant in the city set off an unlikely chain of events, but why out of all the people did he pick Romeo and Benvolio?

Romeo and Juliet’s feelings were very strong, or so they thought. But why were they in such a hurry to get married when they knew their love could never be accepted as their families despised each other? Surely they knew deep down that their love was bound to end in tragedy but they were to afraid to talk about the consequences that their love could cause.

Personally I believe in love at first sight but Romeo and Juliet rushed into marriage without knowing whether the feelings that they were experiencing were true or lasting. I think that in a way they did love each other, their love appeared to be unconditional because they would rather die than lose each other. Romeo and Juliet did love each other, their love contrasts with the hate of the feud.

In Act1 Scene1 Romeo thought that he was in love with Rosaline but that was just a mere infatuation with her beauty not Rosaline herself, but when he spies Juliet for the first time he says:

“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!

For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

This shows that Romeo’s emotions are not deep: he is quickly moved to another girl or infatuation, Juliet’s beauty shows his fickle nature. Although I think that Romeo does love Juliet I do not think that his feelings are a strong as he makes out.

Their first meeting is heavy with religious imagery,

“If I profane with my unworthtiest hand

This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,

My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”

The religious language used in this scene makes Romeo and Juliet sound pure and innocent.

Romeo sneaks into the Capulet gardens after the party, he is flirting with the possibility of being caught and killed just to see Juliet. He overhears her declaration of love, they accept the social isolation of their love. This proves that they do not love each other that much because surely if they did then they would confess everything to their families but they clearly do not think that their love would survive if they did.

Juliet has a heavy premonition when she says:

“I have no joy of this contract tonight,

It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden.”

The feud affects everything, Romeo and Juliet know that they were taking an almighty risk but they cannot help the way they feel or can they? The feud is inescapable, but Tybalt appears to be the only member of both families that is keeping the hatred alive. Even Capulet ordered Tybalt tolerate Romeo at their ball because he did not want Tybalt causing havoc.

“He shall be endured

What, goodman boy, I say he shall, go to!”

He thinks that he is defending the honor of his family; he kills to defend his name. Tybalt does not think before he acts, Romeo is banished because of his sneaky actions. How can Romeo allow Mercutio’s death to go unavenged?

The feud is purely about honor and money; they fight to defend their family name and that is all that matters. Capulet and Montague do not care who they hurt in the process, as long as they are not humiliated.

The actions of some characters greatly influence the course of events in the play, the Nurse, Juliet’s committed servant who treated her almost like her daughter, (this might be because she lost her own daughter) changed the course of events by going behind Lord and Lady Capulet’s backs. If the Nurse had not preformed Juliet’s bidding and acted as her messenger, it is possible that Juliet would have given up on the idea of marriage to Romeo and the couple’s death would have been averted. However, there is a strong possibility that regardless of the Nurse’s influence, the couple would still have gone ahead with their doomed marriage once they had fallen in love.

Friar Lawrence, Romeo’s confidant and assistant of Juliet in her final plan, changed the course of events by helping the young couple in their plans to marry and assisting Juliet in her scheme to be with Romeo once again. He is shown collecting plants and herbs to ensure that the audience knows about his knowledge and authority of the properties of plants when he gives Juliet the sleeping draught.

If the Friar had not agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet, it is again possible that they would have given up on the idea of being together. On the other hand, Romeo and Juliet had been fated to marry and would have partaken in the ceremony one way or another no matter what the Friar’s decision. The Friar is portrayed as a spiritual guide to Romeo and a surrogate parent whom Romeo can confide his most private thoughts. The Friar only agreed to the marriage of Romeo and Juliet because he believed that their love could help impair the feud.

“In one respect I’ll thy assistant be.

For this alliance may so happy prove,

To turn your households’ rancour to pure love.”

Friar Lawrence and the Nurse both act as instruments of fate.

Juliet’s parents, Lord and Lady Capulet changed the course of the play by being so persistent and self-obsessed, they do love Juliet in their own way but they care more about status and money than they do about their own daughter. If Capulet had not agreed to the marriage of Paris and his daughter, Juliet would never have been forced to take such drastic actions that lead to her and Romeo’s deaths.

So why did Romeo and Juliet die? Was it down to chance, no. Adolescent passion, slightly. The feud, partly. The actions of the Nurse, Friar Lawrence and the Capulet’s are mainly to blame. In my opinion though, the soul contributor to the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet’s death was fate. Nowadays, most people do not have much time for the theory of fate. They like to think that they can control their own destiny. But what if all our actions are already planned out, and no matter what we do the ultimate consequence will be the same? Some people argue that Shakespeare wanted us to believe this was the case with Romeo and Juliet.