Jordan Sherwood Ms. Holt Honors English 9 Who is to blame? Many have been blamed by various literary authors for the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet, including Mercutio, the Capulet and Montague families, Friar Lawrence, or Romeo and Juliet themselves. The correct answer to this question is the young lovers' families. However, to properly determine who is truly at fault, an examination of the reasons given for each of the listed characters must be done. Starting with Mercutio who is inarguably the weakest in terms of blame. His reasoning is that if it weren’t for Mercutio, Romeo would’ve never met Juliet and thus never have died. This argument is weak at best. Mercutio was, in fact, trying to help Romeo get over his past lover Rosaline. …show more content…
Their quarrel is the root of every single problem and hardship they faced in their short-lived romance. For one, the hiding and secrets never would have had to happen if the two families could put aside their pride and resolve their dispute. Speaking of this dispute, it is truly the most pointless of its kind. The feud is one of ancient history, being caused years upon years ago by their ancestors. No present day person has been directly harmed by the opposing side for any reason other than the everlasting feud that they insist on maintaining for no given reason. The Capulets’ banishment of Romeo is directly tied to both of the lovers’ deaths. After Romeo murders Tybalt, he is banished by the Capulets. This is an understandable reaction from the Capulets considering Tybalt is Lord and Lady Capulet’s nephew, but they failed to acknowledge that Tybalt was partially at fault. This is due to Tybalt killing Mercutio. However, no matter who’s fault it was, Romeo being banished by the Capulet’s and them pushing Juliet’s wedding to Paris, caused Juliet to become suicidal. This causes her to drink the mixture from Friar Lawrence and for both Romeo and Juliet to end their own