Who Is To Blame For Romeo And Juliet's Downfall

The Downfall of Literature’s Greatest Lovers

Many people consider The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest works and it is highly debated who is to blame for the star-crossed lover’s downfall but there is one character who really caused the whole debacle. Many people can be blamed for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet but Romeo is actually at fault for their demise because he is impulsive, vengeful, and stubborn.
One reason Romeo is to blame for his own downfall is that he is impulsive. For example, when Romeo sees Juliet at the Capulet party he says, “If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss”(Act l, Scene i, 91-94). Romeo instantly ‘falls in love’ and goes for a kiss without any thought about who the girl he is kissing is. If he had some forethought and realized that she is a Capulet then the whole situation would have been avoided.

For instance, Romeo is hiding out in Mantua and when he hears from Balthasar that Juliet is ‘dead’, he instantly starts riding toward Verona without even hearing from the Friar. This can be shown when Romeo says, “And hire post horse. I will hence tonight”(Act v, scene i, 26). This shows that he instantly decides to leave even though the Friar said that he would send for him when the time is right. His stubbornness can also be seen when he is standing over Juliet in the tomb and he sees color in her face and says, “Thou art not conquered. Beauty’s ensign yet. Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheek”(Act v, scene 3, 94-95). He is too stubborn and swept up in grief to realize that if someone looks like they are alive, then there is a good chance that they are alive. All in all, if Romeo had used some critical thinking and looked past his stubbornness, the ending would not have been as