Claire Kwak
Ms. Davis
ENG 2D1
8 May 2023
How Authority Figures Fail the Lovers in Romeo and Juliet
The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare tells the story of two star-crossed lovers and their forbidden love that concludes with a bittersweet ending. The death of the two lovers can be attributed to many factors in the play, for instance, the ongoing family conflict between the two wealthy households, the Montagues and the Capulets, which is forced upon their families along with the city of Verona. As their ongoing family conflict surrounds their relationship, the parental figures in the play also show their contentious views on their own children’s lives. Finally, Friar Lawrence, a notable figure in the play who helps to navigate Juliet
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This poses a great danger for Romeo, because if the other members of the Capulet family find him, Romeo could potentially be killed. As well, this feud extends to Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, and Romeo’s close friend who fights on the side of the Montagues, Mercutio, which directly impacts the relationship between Romeo and Juliet later in the play. Romeo stabs Tybalt after finding out about Mercutio’s death, resulting in Romeo’s banishment, to which he says after receiving the news from Friar Lawrence, “Ha, banishment? be merciful, say ‘death’: / For exile hath more terror in his look, / Much more than death. Do not say ‘banishment!”’ (3.3.142-143). As a consequence of murdering Tybalt for murdering Mercutio, Romeo hears the news that he is banished from Verona. He compares this banishment to death, saying that his banishment from Verona is worse than death, as it is forcing him to stay away from his wife. The separation of the couple only strengthens Romeo’s desire to see Juliet again, going against the law and rules of their family households once again. Based on the given examples, a major factor in Romeo and Juliet’s respective fates are attributed to the ongoing family conflict that takes place in the duration of the