'Who is to blame for the death of Romeo and Juliet? Discuss.'

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Priya Kaur Panesar * Romeo & Juliet Essay                             pg

‘Who is to blame for the death of Romeo and Juliet? Discuss.’

        For many years people have argued and discussed the ways in which different characters may be regarded to contribute towards the death of Romeo and Juliet. There may be many reasons for the death of these two young lovers and in this essay I am going to discuss the characters that may be considered to play a part in the tragedy.

        There are a number of characters in the play that participate and contribute to the tragic events of the play. The motivation of each character, along with the involvement placed in the play, contributes to our thoughts and provides a definite answer in reaching a conclusion. We soon come to relate with the characters and see how each of them is connected to the lovers’ death.

Different aspects and fate combine to cause the death of these two ‘star crossed lovers’. This particular tragedy is about two people who died for one another’s love. Shakespeare wrote this play going against family traditions at the time, and wrote about two people who married each other out of love. Conversely, the two lovers had not thought about the consequences and as a result, they both ended up dying tragically.

Most of the characters fall in love at first sight; Romeo and Juliet, spoiling for a brawling fight; Mercution and Tybalt. Old Montague and Capulet act like adolescents in their continuing feud with one another, even getting involved in the fighting. Old Capulet orders for his lady to hand him a sword as Montague defiantly says, ‘Thou villain Capulet! Hold me not.’ The Capulets and Montagues have used their swords dishonourably by fighting against each other and staining the swords with the blood of neighbours. The nurse acts more like Juliet’s excitable younger sister than a responsible adult.

Only the prince and Benvolio, and later on Friar Laurence, show any sense of responsibility in rationalising and relaxing in certain circumstances. The prologue suggest that fate is to blame for Romeo and Juliet being ‘star crossed lovers; being born into the feuding families, but we cannot blame fate when there are people who will not stop fighting with each other. Some people consider us to decide our own fate and these two characters fight with their own free will. Furthermore, Shakespeare has created a feuding society in Verona, between the Capulets and Montagues; these two houses of society are to blame for the death to a large extent. Even before the scenes, the reader can see that the two households hated one another from the prologue in which the ‘ancient grudge’ is referred to.

Although these two families brawl with each other, no rational suggestion is made in order to stop them. Prince Escalus, who is in charge of what happens in Verona, could be considered blameworthy for the death, as he is unable to stop it. He is there to highlight and emphasise upon the political points in life, such as peace. It is only at the end that he says that he should have been firmer, ‘and I, for winking at your discords too, have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished.’ but it is the death of the lovers not his authority that reconciles the families.

        Along with the Montagues, the Capulet household are responsible for maintaining the feud. Each family have authority over their household to argue with each other. Not either of them chose to stop the quarrelling. During the beginning of the play, Lord Capulet is eager to get involved in the fighting, and Lady Capulet seeks revenge on the Montagues for the death of Tybalt. She demands ‘For blood of ours shed blood of Montague’. This shows a lack of tolerance, as they are not prepared to hear the whole story as they also lack in the basic qualities of civilisation, ‘We will have vengeance for it, fear not.’

        The Capulets are also to blame for the deaths as they denied the wishes of Juliet and never listened to her opinions. Unlike Lord and Lady Montague who are concerned about Romeo, Lady Capulet is a cold, unsympathetic mother, and Lord Capulet is a tyrannical figure that warns Juliet that he will drag her on a ‘hurdle thither’ if she thinks to defy his orders. This is seen when she refuses to marry Paris. Juliet has no one to turn to therefore must to rely on the nurse. It is shown that wealth over rides love in the Capulet way of life. Lord and Lady Capulet were partly responsible for keeping the feud going.

        Lord and Lady Montague like the Capulets, were also responsible for keeping the feud going. If they had been more understanding, Romeo would not have felt he had to keep secrets from them. They had authority over their household, and could have stopped the quarrelling if they wanted to. They should have paid more attention to Juliet's wishes and listened to her opinions. They were too hard on her when she refused to marry Paris.

The Nurse plays a critical role in Romeo and Juliet.  Her relationship with major characters and her part in the secretive romance of the two lovers causes the play's action to move quickly and in a powerful way.  The Nurse acts as Shakespeare’s pawn to guide the events of the play in a dramatic manner.

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The nurse has an important role in Juliet’s life. She is almost a mother to her who advises her about her relationship with Romeo. However, she can often behave irresponsibly throughout the play. She influences Juliet and enables her to meet with Romeo in secrecy. She understands how little love her mother gives and encourages her to go out and have fun. “Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.”

 The nurse is a simple woman, genuinely fond of Juliet with a bawdy sense of humour. She starts off as an amusing character, but as the play progresses and finally ...

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