Popov Timofey Mrs.O’Leary ELA 9 30 March 2023 Title Who is most to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Anybody who has read Shakespeare’s story of Romeo and Juliet can tell you that the two lovers are not the only characters involved in their own eventual downfall. Many of the characters in the story have ethical intentions, yet their actions all ultimately lead to Romeo and Juliet’s passing. One character in particular though, Friar Lawrence, is most to blame. He firstly came up with the undeniably risky plan to fake Juliet’s death, and even worse, he sent Romeo the plan through a messenger that could not deliver the letter. Again, Friar Lawrence is most to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because he came up with an unnecessarily …show more content…
Lord Capulet tells Juliet, “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 tither” (Shakespeare 3.5.154-156). This excerpt depicts Capulet forcing Juliet to marry Paris which is why she needed to fake her own death in the first place. An opposing side could say that if Capulet had let Juliet decide whether she would marry Paris or not, Romeo and Juliet would have not committed suicide. However, this does not account for the fact that Capulet simply did not know that Juliet was married. In act 2, Friar Lawrence says, “Come, come with me, and we will make short work,/For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone/Till Holy Church incorporate two in one” (Shakespeare 2.6.35-37). This quote shows that, unlike Capulet, Lawrence knew that Romeo and Juliet were married. He also accepted the responsibilities that came with marrying such a couple, mainly the fact that if they were separated or one of them died, they would end themselves. Capulet, with what limited knowledge he had at the time, thought that Juliet was being an unreasonable person because he had no other reason for why she wouldn’t possibly want to marry Paris. This means that Capulet couldn’t possibly be as guilty as Lawrence since he never realized what kind of trouble he had