What is one of the greatest tragedies to ever be told? That would be the story of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet were two star-crossed lovers from feuding families that fell in love against all odds, but tragically died. They met at a party, fell in love at first sight, had a secret marriage, and killed themselves rather than live apart. In William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence was responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because he gave them a secret marriage, provided Juliet with a potion that made Romeo think she was dead, and failed to inform Romeo of the plan. The first reason why Friar Laurence is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet is because he married them in secret. After Romeo and Juliet fell in love, they asked for Friar Laurence to marry them in secret. Because he did, both families did not know about the marriage and the Capulet's tried to marry off Juliet. Desperate to avoid the marriage, Romeo and Juliet would both end up dying in a failed plan to end the marriage. If the marriage had been revealed to both families, it may have acted as a bridge between the two families to end the feud without further bloodshed. …show more content…
The potion was intended to put Juliet in a deep sleep that resembled death. It was supposed to cause the Capulet's to believe Juliet was dead then reunite her with Romeo. However, a much simpler way of reuniting them would have been for Juliet to just leave her family and go join Romeo in his exile. Juliet had previously planned to do just that, and probably would have if Friar Laurence hadn't presented her with the potion. Also, it would have been wrong to make Juliet's parents believe she was dead whenever she had the ability to leave