Examples Of Who Is To Blame In Romeo And Juliet

Who is to Blame? By default, people utilize blame as a crutch in an attempt to pinpoint one cause as the source of a problem. People find comfort in assigning blame, as it allows them to validate that they have done nothing wrong. It is natural instinct to want to find the root of a problem, except when you are at fault. In the tragedy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall in love under the most unfortunate circumstances. Since they are the sole children of two feuding families, they take unwise measures to keep their relationship a secret. With Friar Lawrence’s assistance, the star-crossed lovers get married, but their problems are not resolved. After an elaborate plan to evade Juliet wedding Paris,

However, instead of guiding Romeo and Juliet through their unfortunate circumstance, he only further complicates things and makes matters worse. After Romeo informs Friar Lawrence about his newfound love for Juliet, he shows concern that their relationship is moving too fast, even warning Romeo “these violent delights have violent ends” (II, vi, 9). The Friar is fully aware of Romeo’s impulsive nature, and knows that Romeo was just “in love” with Rosaline the previous day. Despite knowing about Romeo’s childish, superficial idea of love, he still agrees to marry them and fails advise against the relationship. The Friar condones the continuation of their secret relationship, and neglects to tell the Capulets. Clarifying that the two were married, would have prevented Lord Capulet from forcing Juliet to marry Paris, and faking her death. Being an adult figure and holy man, it is the Friar’s responsibility to tell the truth and take the reigns on the situation. However, he fails at that and does not feel compelled to tell the Capulets that their only daughter has not actually died. When Juliet seeks guidance from him in her time of weakness, instead of devising a logical plan that could set things straight, he comes up with an elaborate plan with multiple factors that could go wrong. Once his high-risk plan is in motion and things begin to go astray when Romeo does not get the message of the plan, the Friar is obligated to resolve the mess he has caused. However, after discovering Romeo’s dead body, he leaves Juliet and flees the tomb after he hears the watch coming and “[dares] no longer stay,” (V, iii, 159). Friar Lawrence is fully aware of the lengths Juliet is willing to resort to in the name of love, yet he acts selfishly and abandons her. Friar Lawrence’s enabling of the relationship, lack of morality, and inability to be held