Who Is Responsible For Romeo And Juliet's Downfall

Passionate love deteriorates Romeo and Juliet’s judgment which leads to their inevitable downfall. William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet depicts the unfortunate circumstances of two naive teenagers that become deeply infatuated with one another. Despite their families’ profound aversion towards one another, Romeo and Juliet secretly get married and the feud between their families gradually diverges their marriage. In order to revive her marriage, Juliet and Friar Lawrence strategize a plan to fake her own death. However, Friar Lawrence’s arrangement spirals, resulting in the death of the two lovers. Shakespeare demonstrates that love is a blinding force that can cause as much destruction as hatred. Romeo and Juliet’s free will and lack of conscience lead to their demise, for they

After Romeo was exiled from Verona, he consults Friar Lawrence for guidance due to his noble attributes as a holy man. When Romeo accuses Friar Lawrence of using philosophical ideas to appease his strong emotions of self-pity, Romeo resorts to manipulating the Friar into believing that he will kill himself. Therefore, Romeo declares, “In what vile part of this anatomy/ Doth my name lodge? Tell me, that I may sack/ The hateful mansion. [He offers to stab himself and the Nurse snatches the dagger away],” (3.3.106-108). Romeo places his own life in jeopardy in order to evoke sympathy from the Friar to ensure that he will help him reunite with Juliet. However, Romeo’s decision to have faith in Friar Lawrence to revive his marriage fails when his letter regarding Juliet’s staged death is not delivered. As a result, Romeo kills himself when he discovers Juliet dead. Thus, Romeo’s dependence on Friar Lawrence to carry out a disastrous plan demonstrates that his free will and poor choices lead to his tragic downfall. A critical analysis of Romeo and Juliet’s behaviors