It could be deduced that the Friar had ulterior motives; such as when he suggested the poison to Juliet. It could be thought that in this scene Friar is a manipulating character, who takes advantage of Juliet’s state of anguish. She makes it evident that she will do anything to avoid marriage to County Paris and she feels suicidal. When the friar hears this, it gives him an idea that he could minister a remedy if she is willingly to undergo a dangerous course of action. At this point in the play, it is questionable whether the Friar is merely contemplating what was the best solution for him. However, the Friar was aware that Juliet would kill herself if she had to marry County Paris, and this scene was so desperate that he had to physically restrain her. Furthermore, Friar Laurence made it known to Juliet that he could see some hope, yet this solution demanded a serious course of action “I do spy a kind of hope which craves as desperate an execution as that is desperate which we would prevent.” Here it is explained simply to Juliet that if she is to choose this plan then she has to be definite. The Friar may have suggested the potion as he is a man of the church and suicide was considered a mortal sin and the Friar may feel that he has no choice but to intervene. However, it could be thought that the Friar may have been trying to kill Juliet, in order to cover up his mistakes. Or else, if he was not trying to kill her, an interpretation still might be that he is trying to find a way out to rid himself of blame. Yet when Juliet says to him “I long to die if what thou speak’st speak not of a remedy” here Juliet is making a plea to the Friar saying that she longs to die. This suggests that she is placing all of her hopes on him and if no solution is provided she will commit suicide. Friar Laurence already knew that Juliet was very serious about this. She used a knife as a gesture, implying that God joined her heart and Romeo’s and the friar joined their hands and before this hand shall seal a second marriage contract, she gestures that the knife shall slay them both. Although his scheme is far fetched, yet the pressure of events requires desperate remedies and it could be argued that he was a noble man for doing his utmost to ensure that Juliet’s life was saved.
Regardless of the occasions where the Friar is presented as selfish, there are times where he acted in a genuine manner to ensure that others were not harmed, such as twice when he was in a position where he had to stop people committing suicide. When he was placed in these intricate situations he had to think of a ploy swiftly. The Friar is also depicted at times acting with responsibility, when he initially suggests to Romeo on receiving news of his banishment that he should turn to philosophy. As an older man, he is able to find comfort in questioning this. This shows that he is trying to find a rational and logical solution. Furthermore, we are aware that the Friar has a conscience as preceding the marriage of Romeo and Juliet, he makes it known that he has apprehensions about the suddenness of their love and he mentions” violent ends” and “violent means”- this shows he was not a thoughtless man.
It is important to retain the fact that the play is a tragedy, as there are numerous elements that define a Shakespearian tragedy that the play encompasses. The tragic hero, (who in this instance is Romeo) has a flaw that is destructive, which is finally what holds responsibility for his downfall. Romeo’s weakness was that he easily becomes infatuated with a woman and he allows his feelings to completely take over him. Another flaw, is once he sets his mind on something he does not take time to reflect. Romeo also is prone to mood from, suggesting that he is flippant and as a result of his impertinence his tragic downfall follows. Perhaps his avid love for Juliet could be responsible for the tragedy, as his ecstasy makes him ignorantly oblivious. Romeo’s character is described in Act 3 scene 3 when the Friar says that Romeo is behaving as if he is a wild animal, instead of a man. This can be seen in the first act where the fight breaks out between the Montague and Capulet servants. This is used to establish the running battle between the families and outline the situation the conflict will arise from. Then, in the following part of the structure, time and sense of urgency become increasingly principal as the rate of action escalates. This is seen in the scene when arrangements for a hasty marriage between Juliet and County Paris are made, adding a greater momentum to the pace of events. This creates the impression that the play is hurtling towards a swift conclusion. The Friar is a character who moves the plot along and is instrumental to the tragedy. The preparations for the arranged marriage are a ploy in increasing the pace of the play. The fact that the play is a tragedy, influences everything and so Friar Laurence and the arranged marriage can only be blamed partially as they are used to create the tragedy at the end of the play by speeding up events.
Although Romeo’s flaw was that he was dramatic about his feelings, yet the audience would have expected a lovesick character who used poetic and exaggerated language. It could be interpreted that Mercutio’s mocking of Romeo and his cynicism to love was to some extent responsible, as he did not support Romeo and was not a friend that he was able to confide in. An example of Mercutio’s mockery and cynicism is “ …he is already dead:stabbed with a white wench’s black eye; run through the ear with a lovesong…” Mercutio describes Romeo and he describes love as something painful which demonstrates some scepticism. Yet an Elizabethan audience would have expected a jester character that ridicules others and furthermore his character strongly contrasts with Romeo’s. Other stereotypical characters are Capulet- a father who was keen to find a worthy match for his daughter. Then there is County Paris’ character, a respectable wealthy gentleman who fully intended to provide for Juliet. In Elizabethan times he would have been viewed as a credible man and more than a worthy match. In light of this, County Paris’ character is probably included as he fitted the stereotype. Tybalt, a man with a large ego is a clear aggressor and although he could be seen as responsible as he killed Mercutio, such a hot headed and somewhat provocative character was standard. Since Tybalt’s character was stereotypical he may have placed in the play to provoke fights. Tybalt is demonstrated as an aggressor as in Act 1 scene 1, when he makes a strong entrance as he tells Benvolio to turn and face his death.
The male dominated society was partly responsible for the tragedy. The patriarchal power structure was inherent in renaissance families. This placed Juliet in a feeble position as she had no authority to refuse marriage, which is why Juliet seeks more devious methods to prevent the arranged marriage. During that time it meant that the law and emphasis on social civility demanded terms of conduct that the blind passion of love could not comply with. Furthermore as a result of the male dominated society, there were giant male egos that influenced their actions as they were keen to portray a certain image, hence if there is a fight or a suggestion of one, they will not back off as they have a reputation to defend. This can be seen in the first scene where the servants from both households are provoking each other. Male chauvinism plays a part also as it is this that drives them to fight as they want to appear the superior man that exudes machismo. Blame cannot really be laid on men who are temperamental as most men will instinctively fight to shield their pride, however since there is a feud that divides the society, this combined with the male dominant makes an explosive and destructive mix. It all augments when Tybalt is angry with Romeo so he seeks to find him to fight, yet Romeo refuses, which is when Mercutio steps in, yet if he had not felt the inclination to step up to fight Tybalt then his death would not have been a consequence and then Romeo would not have been driven to kill Tybalt, which leads to his exile.
The role of the arranged marriage is to some extent responsible, as it pushed Juliet even further away from her parents, leaving her completely unable to explain how she feels. Although an arranged marriage was what was expected at the time, her parents were forcing Juliet into a marriage, despite her efforts to make it blatant that she did not want to marry County Paris and he would not make her a happy bride. This can be seen when she says “Now by Saint Peter’s church and Peter too, he shall not make me there a joyful bride.” Her parents should have listened to Juliet and at least postponed the wedding. Lord and Lady Capulet merely see the arranged marriage as a financial transaction, to secure and retain wealth and to enhance their social status. They felt Juliet had potential for making money. Lady Capulet seems to think of the marriage as a business, seeing the practical advantages of a marriage to Paris ” so shall you share in all that he doth possess, by having him, making yourself no less.” Capulet even went as far as calling his own daughter a hussy and a disobedient wretch, far from the attitude a father should possess. Perhaps if Juliet’s parents had been more considerate and at least respected her wishes, then the tragedies may not have resulted. When Capulet says “mistress minion you, but fettle your fine joints ‘gainst Thursday next to go with Paris to Saint Peter’s church, or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither”. This makes it apparent that the Capulet’s are far more concerned with tradition than their own daughter. Readers may feel that generally Lord and Lady Capulet were extremely harsh when she refused to marry Paris. In a more secular society, we could view arranged marriages as highly unfair and that women should have the right to choose their husband and true love is principal. In this instance it could be thought that her parents put too much emphasis on the arranged marriage. A modern view of arranged marriages could extend into thinking that the parents did not truly love their daughter, as they were not acting in her best interests, but in their own. Nowadays the idea of an arranged marriage would seem unfair, but In Elizabethan times women did not have any sort of rights so had little choice but to accept arranged marriages.
The long lasting feud that lingers between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s is partly responsible for the deaths. It is shown in the play that through the consequences of a feud its futility that it serves, achieves nothing other than causing affliction. Susan Snyder suggests they are similar using the concept of ideology that nothing divides the Montague’s and Capulet’s but their names. In all other respects they are indistinguishable. In this way the feud becomes ideology and a belief that permeates aspects of Verona. The names alone give a definition for what each person is and that arbitrary “placing” of each individual in their social role gives added poignancy and urgency to Juliet’s questions and demands. Shakespeare then invites the audience to recognize that in the hate-ridden culture existing in Verona the response to “what’s in a name?” is everything. Names are at the root of corruption in Verona, as neighbour is set against neighbour. Once a person knows the name of the other, this yields a stark change in emotional mood as Juliet’s reaction demonstrates vividly “ my only love sprung from my only hate.” Juliet is intimating that the one she loves is the one she hates. The first act prologue reveals a lot, not only what will happen during the course of the play, yet additionally some of the major dichotomies. The opening line shows us that the Capulet and Montague houses are at odds yet have equal aristocratic status. “ two households, both alike in dignity.” In the renaissance it was thought to be fashionable for aristocratic families to have feuds, yet they were supposed to not engage in fighting publicly. The feud has generated hatred of which Romeo and Juliet are victims, in that sense the feud is directly responsible for the tragedy. The Capulet’s and Montague’s are highly responsible, as if their ancestors did not start the fight then they would not have continued it, however Lord and Lady Capulet as well as Lord and Lady Montague should take some accountability as they kept the feud going. A factor that is linked to the enmity is the emphasis that is placed on honour and kin and these factors combined create a profound conflict for Romeo and Juliet who must rebel against their heritages. Some might perceive the feud as the start of factors responsible for the tragedy, as this created tension and meant that Romeo and Juliet deceive their parents, unable to admit they were in love with someone from the opposing household. Basically, the irrational feud aggravated the characters to express anger towards their enemies .
The distance between Romeo and his father was a reason for the tragedy, as he did not feel that he could confide in his father. Although this was standard for Elizabethan types in a more secular society, we might perceive this as neglect, as neither Romeo nor Juliet’s father gave them enough attention. If the role of the father was greater, then the tragedy may not have occurred as both Romeo and Juliet would have been able to entrust in their fathers and tell them about with whom they were in love, without a need for treachery, pretence and extreme measures taken.
The mother also played a minimal role, therefore a nurse (surrogate mother figure) was employed, and they were the one that minded the child and this was the case for Juliet. Juliet did not have a close relationship with her mother; she had a nurse that took the mother role on. Since Lady Capulet and Juliet did not have a close relationship it could be argued that she was a poor mother who distanced herself from her daughter. Moreover, there is evidence that could imply that Lady Capulet was merely using her daughter as a means of obtaining money as we only really see interaction when there is discussion of the arranged marriage. “Marry, that marry is the very theme I came to talk of.“ Lady Capulet then tries to persuade Juliet to love County Paris, and she compares beauty to a book, this is an extended metaphor. With the description of beauty and sumptuousness this may have been tempting to Juliet and Lady Capulet could have been speaking tactfully to ensure a marriage. It could be suggested that Lady Capulet’s neglect and attitude to her daughter created tension between them and jeopardised the relationship further. Although it was normal at the time for nurses to be employed to take on the role effectively as a surrogate mother, Lady Capulet does not appear to show remote care towards her daughter. In a more secular society, Lord Capulet may well be viewed as a selfish and controlling father. There is an instance where it appears that he is abusing his power, when he tries to blackmail her and he is even tempted to hit her, “ my fingers itch”. This creates the impression of an aggressive father that demands obedience. Finally, Capulet is an unsympathetic father and is so fixated on the idea of an arranged wedding that he even tells his daughter to hang herself “hand thee young baggage..” Juliet obviously did not feel close enough to him to tell him about Romeo as the relationship was not a trusting one.
Fate plays a large part in Romeo and Juliet, as it is suggested in the monologue that they are “star crossed lovers”, intimating that from the start their love was doomed (from the outset.) It also could suggest that the brilliance of their love will stand out in the society of hatred and feuds they live in. Fate plays a part in the hero’s fall as evil agents often act upon the hero and the forces of good, causing the hero to make the wrong decisions. In the prologue it is made quite evident that Romeo and Juliet’s lives are to be controlled by fate, and that they are destined to suffer tragic consequences. Prior to Romeo leaving for the Capulet ball where he meets Juliet, he says that he feels his future is “hanging in the stars..” Towards the end of the play when he hears about Juliet’s “death” he says that he is “fortunes fool”. The overall structure of the play and the way it develops, creates a feeling of inevitability about the ending. The accidental death of Mercutio sparks off a chain of events that lead to the death of Tybalt and in turn Romeo’s banishment. When Capulet makes the decision that Juliet must marry Paris, it places her under pressure to find a resolution. Her father’s sudden decision to bring the marriage forward increases this further. The failed deliveries of the friar’s letter and his own late arrival to the tomb seal the lover’s fate. Fate is responsible throughout the play as the clown who is sent with a list of names to invite people to the Capulet ball and he is unable to read and he happens to see Romeo who helps him to read the list and then consequently he ends up going to the party, which is where he meets Juliet. Romeo’s defiance alone plays into the hands of fate and his determination to spend eternity with Juliet results in their deaths. It could be interpreted that fate bought Romeo and Juliet together as well as ended their lives as it was in the stars. It is relatively easy to place all of the blame for the tragedy on the Friar, yet the fact remains that the Friar’s plan to give Juliet the sleeping potion to evade the wedding to Paris was not flawed. However, when Balthazar saw this he went immediately to Romeo in act of loyalty, reporting what he had seen. Here a simple misunderstanding is strongly responsible for Romeo’s death. This is another twist of fate, as the message from Friar Laurence that he gave to Friar John did not reach Romeo in time. Despite Romeo and Juliet being helpless victims of fate, Romeo was also an agent of fate. This is evident after Romeo has killed Tybalt and his response is to say “O I am fortunes fool..” yet it is as a result of Romeo’s impetuous nature that led to this calamity.
The intense passion and fervent love that Romeo and Juliet experienced was partially responsible as they were very young and naïve and allowed these new feelings to take control of them and cloud their judgement. There is evidence of this at the feast, when Tybalt notices Romeo and he is unwavering that he will kill him as Romeo sees Juliet and falls in love with her. Their love is an intense passion and they allow their love to supersede all other values and their loyalties to their families. As a consequence of this overpowering force they are driven to defy their families. Both Romeo and Juliet make very hasty decisions that are not necessarily the best option, but they were willing to do anything, provided that they could be together. They did not think about the consequences and this emphasises their youth and inexperience and this is shown in Romeo as he previously doted on Rosaline yet thought that he was in love with her. Juliet was so young and her youth and innocence is demonstrated in the scene after Romeo and she have spent the night together and she wants him to stay, she cannot bear to be parted from him. Even Friar Laurence warns Romeo against his immoderate love when he says “ these violent delights have violent ends. Love moderately.” Both characters are very headstrong and as a result of this and the love they experienced, they had actually condemned themselves. The children are both very irresponsible as once they realise they are from opposing households, they still continue the relationship. Both failed to respect their parents and if they had shown more obedience and loyalty to their households and not pursued a relationship with the enemy, then the tragedy would not have happened. Juliet in particular should have shown more obedience, as she was aware that she was to meet Paris, an eligible gentleman. Romeo himself is partially responsible as he is a very impulsive character who makes rash decisions and he allowed his emotions to compel him to take drastic action. If Romeo had been more cautious and he had thought more carefully about the decisions, the tragedy may have been prevented.
Death is equally important to love as a central idea as five characters die throughout the course of the play and there is a preoccupation with death that runs through a significant part of the language in the play. An example of this is one of the times when Juliet is presented as “deaths bride”, when she discovers the news of Romeo’s banishment and she says that “death not Romeo take my maidenhead.” Death in Elizabethan times was much more of a conscious issue, the reason being that people died considerably younger, which is why with a lower life expectancy they were far more conscious of mortality, hence several references to and examples of death. Even though to a modern day audience this may seem like a very morbid interest, death was a constant thought during Elizabethan times. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet may not only have been included in the play to conclude a tragedy, but to make a lasting symbol of the power of love that is able to triumph through all adversity. Furthermore, violence and death are thrilling to an audience and it is suggested that death will follow which helps to keep the audiences engrossed.
The speed of events is partly responsible as impetuous decisions are made with little contemplation. Overall, the play appears to be very hurried as characters rush into marriage and then Romeo is banished as a consequence of impulsive actions. Juliet considers suicide as Capulet is so keen for her to marry County Paris and seeing that Juliet is so desperate to do anything but marry Paris she takes a potion to give her a death-like guise. The haste continues when Romeo obtains a poison which is in an act of suicide as he thinks that Juliet is dead. Finally when Juliet discovers that Romeo is in fact dead she stabs herself. These events illustrate the haste of the play. Time is always apparent in the play as we see the lovers before they meet. We are witnesses to their first meeting, we follow them through their declaration of love and also up until the point where Romeo kills Tybalt-then all is lost. The impression is that the lovers are fighting against time as the wedding to County Paris is moved forward and the Friar hatches a scheme in despondency to save them. There is a certain amount of inevitably as the events happen at an increased rate, problems occur and mistakes are made, as the vital message that Friar John is carrying fails to reach Romeo in time. Following this, when Juliet rouses herself from her state of unconsciousness she is just too late to save Romeo, so she takes her own life. There is a concentration of the time and the action as the play is only set over five days, and this all adds to the impact. The lovers are prompted in reaction to numerous events and this adds to the feeling that they are caught up in a chain of circumstances that they cannot control. There is a pace and urgency that is evident, which makes the drama so compelling.
The nurse is quite responsible as she encouraged Juliet in her romantic ideas and she even made sexual references, “Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age”, however this merely exemplifies her bawdy sense of humour and her type of character. She acted as a messenger and aided two lovers in engaging in secret meetings and assisting them in getting married secretly. The Nurse was employed by the Capulet’s and should have felt a sense of duty to inform them of their daughter’s behaviour. The Nurse’s artful behaviour was unprofessional. If the Nurse had told the Capulet’s about Romeo and Juliet then perhaps the tragedy would not have occurred. The Nurse also advised Juliet to marry Paris, with the knowledge that she was already married to Romeo and this results in the breakdown of the relationship. At this point she deserts Juliet and because of this, she also becomes responsible. The Nurse should not have just left Juliet alone because this presents Juliet with the opportunity to take the remedy that the Friar had given her. As a nurse to Juliet her job was to care for Juliet and watch over her, yet she abandons her completely. Juliet was left with no confidante, therefore exacerbating the situation as she felt even more lonely, confused and helpless. If the nurse had remained loyal to the Capulet's then she would not have played a role in delivering messages and assisting in arranging the secret wedding and private meetings.
Some minor characters have some liability in the tragedy. There is the apothecary who gave Romeo the poison, the instrument he used to kill himself. The apothecary is accountable as he was not supposed to sell such a poison, yet he allowed himself to be bribed as he was so poor, this shows that he allowed his selfishness to influence his decision and in deciding to administer this poison he was helping Romeo to kill himself. Tybalt too is to some extent responsible as he provokes the fight, but Romeo does not retort as he does not want a fight which is when Mercutio steps in and is killed and so Tybalt is killed also as Romeo allows his anger to get the better of him. The relatively complex plot has copious factors to consider in an attempt to understand the intricacy of the web in which Romeo and Juliet are entrapped. The absence of sub-plots, helps to concentrate all of the attention on the fate of the young lovers.
The outcome of the play has a much greater impact since it is set against a religious element and both suicides have a far greater impact. There are lots of religious images throughout the play and they stem from the religions of Shakespeare’s time. Friar Laurence adds a further religious aspect and his actions raise many questions when judged against the actions you would expect from a man of God. It could be proposed that though Friar Laurence’s plans all seem well conceived and well intentioned they serve as the main mechanisms through which the fated tragedy occurs. It is important to recognize that the Friar is not only subject to the fate that dominates the play but in many ways he brings that fate about. The played is filled with irony and the ending is overflowing with situational irony, this is present in Act 5 scene 3 the climax of play as Romeo and Juliet have both killed themselves for each other. This accident could have been avoided. Perhaps if the Friar had thought of the consequences prior to acting, then the outcome of the play may have been much happier.
Finally, it could be thought that the tragedy could have been avoided if both the Friar and the nurse remained faithful to their respective masters, God and Lord and Lady Capulet. Both the nurse and the Friar were partially responsible for the tragedy, yet the Friar was the leading factor of this and the nurse acted as a tool in. I do not think that the blame should be solely placed on the Friar, although he was a catalyst. Nevertheless, I do feel that the Friar was heavily responsible as he made rash decisions and was deceitful and abandoned Juliet when she needed him most. This suggests that he is a weak character, concerned with self-preservation and there is a lot of evidence to exhibit that he did not act like a Friar. Although Friar Laurence must take some culpability, this is by no means the lone reason and the long lasting feud was In my opinion the start and combined with a male dominated society and machismo this proved to be a dangerous combination. If the feud between the Montague’s and Capulet’s did not exist, then there would not have been the secrecy surrounding the lovers’ relationship. Another cause that I feel was heavily responsible was the role of fate, which could not be controlled. Linked to this was that “Romeo and Juliet” is a tragedy and incorporates characters such as the Friar who is an instrument of fate. Finally, another cause encompassing several ideas is Elizabethan society with the prospect of the arranged marriage, the male dominated society, hence women had no power and the small role the parents played.