Who Is Lord Capulet Responsible For The Deaths Of Romeo And Juliet

Love is a powerful emotion that will either have positive or negative consequences on an individual's emotional and physical state depending on the actions of oneself and others. In Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo & Juliet”, there exists two households named Montague and Capulet that bear a grudge towards each other. Nonetheless, a Montague, Romeo, and a Capulet, Juliet, both became lovesick. Their love lead to an entanglement that inevitably kills both of these young lovers, all because of one character. Lord Capulet’s free will is most responsible for Romeo & Juliet’s deaths because his selfish arrangements forced Juliet to pursue actions, such as marriage, she otherwise would not have attempted, which is demonstrated by Shakespeare’s use of foreshadowing.

In Verona, there are expectations for young girls that they marry a fine man and labor babies, especially in high-class families such as Montague and Capulet. In the Capulet house, Lord Capulet has prepared a bridegroom, Paris, for his fourteen year old daughter, Juliet. Although, Juliet refuses to marry Paris because she is secretly already married to Romeo, but her father does not know that. As a result of Juliet expressing that she does not want to marry Paris, Lord Capulet angrily replies to her disobedience, “But fettle your fine joints’ gainst Thursday next To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church, Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither. Out, you green sickness, carrion! Out, you baggage” (3.5.153-157). This quote portrays Lord Capulet insulting and threatening Juliet because of her disobedience of not wanting to marry. However, little did he know, his words became a reality. Lord Capulet foreshadowed Juliet’s death when he exclaimed, “I will drag thee on a hurdle thither” (3.5.155). The definition of a hurdle is an obstacle or difficulty, where one has to overcome. This is foreshadowing to the future occurrence when he will have to drag or carry Juliet to the vault because she had died. Due to Capulet’s decision to force Juliet to marry Paris, it led to her

Capulet continues to berate Juliet for rejecting the marriage, criticizing that she is unworthy, ungrateful, and spoiled for acting in such manner, despite the fact that he himself is a selfish, cruel individual for not in the slightest considering his own daughter’s wishes to not marry. As he was speaking to his own daughter in a way that was discriminating and threatening, he mentions, “Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church o’ Thursday, or never look me in the face. Speak not. Reply not. Do not answer me” (3.5.160-163). This quote demonstrates another instance of Lord Capulet’s ill behavior towards Juliet, which represented that he has little to no affection or care to his daughter. Only the marriage which is in his own personal gain. But, not only did Capulet contributed to Romeo & Juliet’s deaths, the quote exemplified the usage of foreshadowing. The phrase, “get thee to church o’ Thursday, or never look me in the face. Speak not. Reply not. Do not answer me” (3.5.160-163). This illustrates that he threatened Juliet to come to church or never look or speak to him. Afterwards, Juliet faked her death which lead her unable to partake in the marriage, and as exclaimed by her father she is permanently unable to talk or look at him, because when an individual dies they are unable do anything, which