Why Romeo Is To Blame For The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet

Bailey Davis
Ms. Lancucki
Honors Freshman English
Why Romeo is to Blame

“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” (2.2.33). An iconic line from the great Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet, this sequence portrays Juliet asking why Romeo is who he is. In the tragedy, Romeo of the Montagues and Juliet of the Capulets are star-crossed lovers held back by a feud between their families. Romeo and Juliet fight for their love despite the rivalry, but their love is doomed from the start. Both lovers die at the end of the play. Misfortune after misfortune leaves many dead and many full of grief, and there is only one person who is to blame for the heartbreaking ending of the play: Romeo. Although Romeo’s actions appear to be that of a lovesick

To begin, Romeo is at fault for the tragic ending of the play because of his impulsivity. Throughout the play, Romeo jumps head-first into everything without a second thought. For instance, after knowing Juliet for only a few hours, Romeo decides to climb the Capulet wall and hide in Juliet’s backyard, rather than leaving; “He ran this way, and lept this orchard wall.”(2.1.5). By impulsively hiding in Juliet’s backyard, Romeo is able to listen to Juliet’s personal thoughts. This creates an opportunity for the two to kindle their love, which leads to the sad ending of the play, as the love between Romeo and Juliet creates many consequential conflicts. One of these conflicts results in the death of Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt. Once again, Romeo and his impulsive actions cause harm. In a rage, Romeo fights Tybalt, and Tybalt falls: “Romeo, away, be gone! The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain.” (3.1.125-126). Tybalt’s death creates additional bad blood between the feuding families and becomes a prominent cause of the melancholy ending. Romeo is also banished from

They support this by saying Romeo is not at fault because his emotions and the actions they trigger are that of a lovesick teenager: therefore, he should not be held responsible. Indeed, Romeo's actions are heavily based on love, as shown in his dialogue: “Why, such is love's transgression. Briefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest with more of thine. This love that thou hast shone doth add more grief to much of mine own. Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers eyes; being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers tears. What is it else? A madness most discreet, a choking gall, and a persevering sweet.” (1.1.178-187). Romeo is completely obsessed with love. His elaborative speech explains that every action he takes is one taken for love. The opposing view believes that all acts performed in the pursuit of love are pure. However, Romeo's actions still cause the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet. Even if his murderous actions are pure in the name of love, Romeo's ignorance causes the tragic ending of the play. To demonstrate, Romeo has a chance to live happily ever after with Juliet. Immediately before Romeo kills himself, he notices that Juliet is not dead:” Death, that have sucked the honey of thy breath, hath no power yet upon thy beauty. Thou art not conquered. Beauty’s