To What Extent Are The Characters To Blame In Romeo And Juliet

Nuha Ansar

Ms. Perry

Honors English 9

12 April 2023

The Characters to Blame for the Tragedy in Romeo and Juliet

The play Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, has had a hold on society for centuries. The story follows two young lovers, Romeo Montague, and Juliet Capulet, each from feuding households. Their passionate and deep love for one another was ultimately severed, torn apart by the hatred amongst their families. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet complete the story, and as this tragic conclusion unravels, one might wonder if all the misfortune and misery could have been avoided. The disastrous events in Romeo and Juliet have many reasons, but three specific characters are responsible for them. These characters are

When Juliet makes her father aware of her unwillingness to marry Paris, Capulet is enraged. He acts out in complete fury and anger, throwing nasty names and threats toward Juliet. Capulet tells Juliet that if she does not comply, he will disown her, give her to his friend, and throw her out into the streets leaving her to beg for food and starve. “An you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend. An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets, for, by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee” (Romeo and Juliet 3.5). Capulet’s quick temper and outrage put Juliet into a very difficult position, as it resulted in her feeling the need to take drastic measures to escape her marriage from Paris. She and Friar Lawrence’s plan to fake her death was a plan that was taken to an utter extreme, and it was this very plan that led to the deaths of both her and Romeo. Capulet’s unnecessary wrath is liable for this tragedy. Another example of Capulet being at fault for the tragedy would be when he decides to move the wedding a day early. Juliet approaches Capulet seeking forgiveness and

While Balthasar plays a very minor role in the play, his contributions to the tragedy are contrarily tremendous. One moment that exemplifies this would be when Balthasar, arriving from Verona, delivers the message to Romeo that Juliet has died. Juliet had faked her death, and Romeo was supposed to be aware of this. However, Balthasar instead gave Romeo the wrong information. “Then she is well and nothing can be ill. Her body sleeps in Capels’ monument, and her immortal part with angels lives” (Romeo and Juliet 5.1). Balthasar’s inability to deliver the correct message to Romeo led to a string of tragic events. His giving Romeo the wrong information led Romeo to act irrationally in the depths of his emotions and grief. When Romeo learns of Juliet's death, he goes to Juliet's tomb where he kills Paris. When Juliet learns he is dead, she kills herself. Another example in which Balthasar is to blame for the tragedy would be his complicity in following Romeo’s orders. Right before going into the tomb, Romeo meets up with Balthasar, who gives him the pen and paper Romeo asked for earlier. He then lies to Balthasar, making up an excuse as to why he is at Juliet’s tomb. Balthasar essentially “smiles and nods” as he listens. He decides not to stop Romeo but instead hides and watches because he fears Romeo is up to no good. “For all this same, I’ll hide me hereabout. His looks I fear, and