Blame For Romeo's Death

Who was most responsible for the six deaths in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare? This question has been speculated over for many years, but the answer is obviously Romeo Montague. Romeo tends to act before he thinks, causing Tybalt’s and Paris’ deaths. Romeo’s obsession with love is what causes the whole conflict in the first place, leading to all of the deaths. Romeo acts before he thinks. After Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo immediately chases Tybalt and kills him, without thinking of the consequences. Prince Escalus had already said that if the Montagues and Capulets had another brawl, there would be death to pay. Romeo chose to ignore this or maybe even not think about it at all. “Alive in triumph—and Mercutio slain! Away to heaven, respective lenity, And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now.” (3.1.84-86) This quote proves that Romeo didn’t stop to think of the consequences of

Romeo’s obsession with love started the chain of events leading to all six deaths. Romeo acts before he thinks, causing the deaths to take place. Some people may argue that it’s not his fault because he can’t help how he feels. This is an invalid argument because, while he may not be able to control how he feels, he is able to control his actions and he chose to do all the things he did. Other people argue that Benvolio is to blame because he instructed Romeo to go to the Capulets’ party, but this argument is weak because Romeo didn’t have to agree to go. When Benvolio asks Romeo to go to the party, he agrees to go, “‘I’ll go along.’” (1.2.103) Understanding who holds the majority of the blame for the deaths in Romeo and Juliet helps people understand the play because it gives the deaths and overall plot more sense in why everything happened the way it did. Human nature has its flaws, and the blame for the deaths in this play exaggerates how humans behave