Characters Pardoned In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Even though Romeo and Juliet dates back to nearly 419 years ago, there is still debate about what characters are most responsible for the death of the two star-crossed lovers. When the two are posthumously found dead next to each other, the Prince says, "Some shall be pardon’d, and some shall be punished” (Romeo & Juliet. 5.3.329-330). Shakespeare doesn’t clearly tell his readers which characters will be pardoned or punished, but there is evidence to believe that some characters are more to blame than others. The parents in Romeo and Juliet are most responsible for Juliet and Romeo’s love because they take part in a feud that didn’t allow their children be together, Juliet’s parents threw a party that allowed them to meet each other, and Juliet’s

During the first act of the play, Montagues and Capulets are in the streets about to fight. Before the fight, one of the civilians says, “Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues!” This quote shows how big the feud is. The grudge isn’t just between the two families, but the entire town of Verona knows about it. Later on in the play, Romeo and Juliet are talking about their relationship, and what they would have to do to get married. Juliet says this to Romeo, “Deny thy father and refuse thy name / Or, if thou wilt not, but sworn my love / And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” Juliet is saying that Romeo would need to give up his Montague name for her to be able to marry him. This quote shows the power of the feud that the parents have put them in. The young lovers can’t get married because of their parent’s rivalry, and this sets up many of their problems created by their parents.
The next reason that Romeo and Juliet’s parents are responsible for their death is that the Capulet’s threw an enormous party, and let Romeo in. Lord Capulet was throwing party for all the Capulets, but Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, convinced Romeo to go with him to the Capulet’s party. Romeo decided to go to the party to try and get over his previous lover, but he ended up meeting a new one instead. Lord Capulet might not have the intention in mind of letting his daughter

When Lady Capulet is trying to convince Juliet to follow through with marrying Paris, Juliet says, “marriage is an honor that I wish not of.” This quote shows that she doesn’t want to be married. Not only did the Capulets force Julie to marry young, but they also have chosen her a man to marry. The man that they have chosen is Paris, and Juliet only wants to marry Romeo. Juliet says this when talking to Lady Capulet about marrying Paris, “[Paris] shall not make me a joyful bride! / I pray you, tell my lord and father, madam / I will not marry yet, and when I do I swear / it shall be to Romeo, whom I know you hate / Rather than Paris.” Juliet begged her mother to accept the fact that she doesn’t want to marry Paris, and wants to marry Romeo. Not taking their daughter into consideration when making her decisions, Juliet’s Parents threaten to disown Juliet if she doesn’t marry Paris. This obviously makes Juliet feel as if she can’t live with her own family since she is married to Romeo, leading to her eventual death. Critics may argue that Tybalt, a Capulet, was the most responsible for the death of Romeo and Juliet because of a fight between the two families that lead to Romeo’s banishment. This argument is flawed because the fight wouldn 't have happened if the parents had ended the