Who or What is to Blame for the Tragedy
Investigates whether 'fate' ro the behaviour of Romeo is to blame for the tragedy in the play.
?Romeo and Juliet? has been described as one of the greatest love tragedies in play history. It is filled with strong emotions and views, tension, action, violence, humour and most of all love, that binds the star-crossed? lovers together.
Before the first scene begins, the chorus informs of what is to be expected in the play. ? A pair of star-cross?d lovers take their life; who?s misadventured piteous overthrows, Doth with their death bury their parents strife.? ?The star-crossed lovers? mean that Romeo and Juliet?s love is to be hindered, because of the stars; their relationship is bound to end in tragedy.
In Act I, scene IV, Romeo changes his mind and decides going to the Capulet?s feast is not a good idea after all. He says, ?I fear, too early; for my mind misgives, some consequence yet hanging in the stars?. Here Romeo has an omen of what to come. He feels that if he goes in there, something bad will happen. When Romeo leaves the banquet, Juliet says, ?If he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed?, meaning if Romeo is married, she?ll die unmarried. This is a foretelling of what is to come, because her grave does become her wedding bed.
In Act II scene VI, Romeo says; ?Then love-devouring death do what he dare: It is enough I may but call her mine? Here Romeo is challenging fate, which he does a few times throughout the play. ?Is it even so? Then I deny you stars?. Before Romeo kills himself, he says, ? O here, will I set up my everlasting rest: and shake the yoke of inauspicious stars,? Here he is taking his chances on death. He will be at peace when he dies, he will be free from the doom of his fate in the stars.
Romeo cries; ?Oh I am fortune?s fool,? as he feels his life is just being played around with. When Romeo finds out Mercutio is dead, he says, ?This day?s black fate on more day?s doth depend; this but begins the woe, others must end?. Romeo knows he has reached a point of no return. He will fight Tybalt to gain revenge, but he knows that won?t be the end of anything.
The messenger not getting to Romeo on time, and therefore changing the layout of the plan, could be a stroke of bad luck, but again fate plays its part. Romeo not knowing about the plan is thinks Juliet is dead and leads him to commit suicide.
Juliet also mentions about fate and fortune being involved in her life. ?Me think I see thee now?as one dead in the bottom?either my eyesight fails?? here she has a premonition of his death. She then goes on to say after Romeo is gone, ?O fortune, fortune, all men call thee fickle,? Here she is talking to fortune, saying that Romeo is renowned for his faithfulness and that faithless fortune should leave him alone.
Romeo?s, character is very emotional, and allows his heart to rule his head. ?With love?s light wings did I o?er-perch these walls?, in the next line, he is saying that with love he is invincible! When Juliet asks him how he found her, he replies, ? By love, who first did prompt me to inquire; He lent me counsel and I lent him eyes?. Saying it was love who told him to go and find Juliet and in return for that, he gives love his eyes to find her.
At the beginning of the play, Romeo appears to be very immature and does not yet know of true love, as one minute he was weeping for Rosaline and the next it was for Juliet. ?Did my heart love till now? For swear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night?, which is a quick change of heart. Before he goes into the Capulet?s feast, he tells Benvolio, that he cannot compare any other with Rosaline, ? When the devout religion of mine eye, maintains such falsehood, then turns tears to fires,? and that his eyes would be lying if there was such another beauty as Rosaline. This shows that Romeo?s love for Rosaline was a ?petit crush?
When Romeo tells the Friar that he has a new love, the Friar is shocked and doubts Romeo know what love is. ? Young men?s love then lies, not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.? He criticises Romeo for his sudden change in heart.
Juliet is still young and like any other young teenage girl dreams of marriage and falls in love easily. She rushes into marriage very quickly. Though it seems quite ironic, as at first she says to Romeo in Act II scene II, ? It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,? but later on she says, ? Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow,? as they only met about two hours ago, they hardly know anything about each other, and she?s already proposing marriage! This could also be a link onto how speed plays a part of their death. The play happens in such a short space of time, the events within in it occur quickly. Capulet decides to have a feast with only one day?s preparation. He also decides that Juliet is to marry Paris within two days. Romeo and Juliet marry each other within a day of meeting. Perhaps if things had slowed down and were more thought about, then the consequences of Romeo and Juliet?s? actions may not have been so fatal. As Friar Laurence suggested, ? Wisely and slow they stumble that run fast? after he marries them, giving them a bit of advice.
Romeo and Juliet fall in love and it causes their death, but their death brings the feud between the Capulet and Montague?s to an end. Friar Laurence is reluctant at the start to marry Romeo and Juliet, but then he says, ? In one respect, I?ll thy assistant be; For this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households rancour to pure love.? He thinks the marriage of these two could end the feud. If he did not agree to marry them so quickly, then they would have slowed down, and they may not have died. He left Juliet at the tomb at her funeral, maybe if he had not left, she wouldn?t have killed herself, he could have stopped her, ? Come go good Juliet, I dare no longer stay.? He probably left, scared of being found out, feeling ashamed and guilty.
The rivalry between Mercutio and Tybalt helped Romeo and Juliet come to their deaths. Tybalt is the main stirrer of the feud, if he had controlled his rage, then Romeo would not have killed him.
The parents are also to blame. They are the ones, who have pushed them to their death ever since day one. Romeo?s parents do not really contribute much to his death, except for their part in the family feud. It is mainly Juliet?s parents, by forcing her to marry Paris. At the beginning of the play, when Paris asks Capulet for Juliet?s hand in marriage, Capulet says she is too young, he says that Juliet is his only child, therefore the heiress to all his fortunes. Later on in the play, he has a sudden change of heart. ?I think she will be ruled, in all respects by me: I doubt it not.? In addition, hurries his wife to inform Juliet about it. He is now saying that Juliet will listen to him and do what she is told. ?
Overall, in my opinion the tragedy, was caused by the actions of the family and friends of Romeo and Juliet. So therefore, fate decided the how their lives would turn out. For instance if Benvolio did not cajole Romeo into going to the feast, then the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio, and then Romeo and Tybalt would not have happened. Romeo would not have been banished. If Capulet had not insisted that Juliet marry Paris, then she would not have faked her own death. If Friar John had not gone to get a friend to go with him to deliver the letter to Romeo, he would not have been confined to the house and would have safely delivered the letter to Romeo. Romeo would then have known of Friar Laurence and Juliet's plan, and would have realised that she was not dead. Also if the two families were not feuding then Romeo and Juliet could have went to their families and told them about their feelings for each other. All of these factors were out of Romeo?s control and therefore he had no say in his or Juliet?s fate.
