The Most Responsible For The Deaths Of Romeo And Juliet

The story of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare has been talked about and referenced for centuries, with their deaths, in particular, being a concept of interest. Many assume their deaths were the result of their parent’s hatred; young lovers were driven to secrecy, but perhaps they were not at fault after all. In this Shakespearean play, many are at fault for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, but ultimately the person who holds the most responsibility is Romeo. From the beginning of the story, we see Romeo often act impulsively and as a result, makes poor decisions. These impulsive, foolish decisions are eventually what lead the pair to their deaths. This is seen in several ways such as Romeo’s attending of the Capulet’s party, despite

Thoughtlessly, he attends alongside his cousin and close friend, Benvolio and Mercutio. They believe this outing would be good for Romeo, who was depressed over Rosaline’s rejection. At this party, he would meet Juliet and believe he is in love. ‘Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight, / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.’ (Shakespeare 1.5 51-52). In this quote, Romeo says right after having seen Juliet that he doesn’t believe he has ever been in love prior to that moment as he has never seen such beauty until then. Moreover, this decision contributed to their deaths as had Romeo realized what consequences could come of attending his enemy’s party, he and Juliet would have never met and their lives wouldn’t have ended so soon. Overall, this choice was one of the most impactful to their suicides as they never would have known each other without Romeo’s heedless attendance at the

Upon learning of Juliet’s supposed passing, Romeo immediately takes to an apothecary, where he convinces the man to sell him a vial of poison. ‘Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight. / Let’s see for means. O mischief, thou art swift / To enter in the thoughts of desperate men.’ (Shakespeare 5.1 34-36). This quote comes from Romeo soon after he believes Juliet is dead, saying he will kill himself beside her so they may be together. In spite of his banishment, he then travels to Verona to Juliet’s resting place. In the tomb, Romeo drinks the vial of poison and dies alongside Juliet. Shortly after, she awakens, horrified to have found her husband dead, leading her to stab herself with his dagger. Additionally, if such a rash decision hadn’t been made and Romeo grieved Juliet’s death differently, the two would have been able to run away together to Mantua as planned. Ultimately, their tragic suicides were a result of Romeo’s unwise choices, which took place up until their last