Romeo And Juliet Dbq

Who is to blame for the tragic end of Romeo Montague and his lover, Juliet Capulet? In Romeo and Juliet, the characters are faced with an unrelenting series of unfortunate coincidences, which eventually lead to the demise of six characters. The blame could be placed on many characters in the story, including a priest, Juliet’s parents, and Romeo and Juliet themselves. Who is the most responsible? The majority of the blame can be narrowed down to Juliet, Friar Lawrence, and Fate. Fate is undoubtedly one of the largest contributors to the outcome of this story. From the Prologue to the end, references to Fate and a “higher power” are made. “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes”(DBQ Project: Who’s to Blame, Document A) hints at the possibility

Her fatal flaw, as tragic heroes often have, was her fear of coming out and being honest to her parents. If Juliet had told her father that she had already been married to Romeo, he might have been stopped from arranging a marriage between her and Paris. Instead, she chose to try and prevent the marriage, still behind their back, by other means. “Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it…” (DBQ Project: Who’s to Blame, Document C), she said to Friar Lawrence, asking how she could avoid the arranged wedding. This leads to Juliet faking her death, causing grief, Romeo’s suicide, and her own

If not the Friar, no one would have been present to marry Romeo to Juliet. They would have been forced to stay separated by their feuding families, and the short-lived marriage would not have come into play. The Friar himself even acknowledged that the love would be over quickly: “These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder…” (DBQ Project: Who’s to Blame, Document C), calling Romeo a “young waverer”(DBQ Project: Who’s to Blame, Document C) as well, meaning that his focus on women changed easily. Still, Friar Lawrence agreed to marry them, hoping “To turn your households’ rancour to pure love,”(DBQ Project: Who’s to Blame, Document C). In addition, he provided the drug and the plan for Juliet to fake her death. Giving her the depressant, he said, “...I’ll give thee remedy.”(DBQ Project: Who’s to Blame, Document