Romeo Is To Blame In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

In Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, written in the late 13th century is about two doomed lovers. Romeo and Juliet, who are members of the two rivaling families of Verona, fall in love at a Capulet party. These star crossed lovers overcame many obstacles, but their doomed love eventually led them to death. Romeo is most to blame for the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet, because he does not think carefully about his actions before he acts, he is too passionate, and is extremely persuasive.

Romeo does not think carefully about his actions before he acts, therefore leading both of the lovers to suicide. The night of the Capulet’s party, Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio are discussing dreams, and Romeo says to himself, “I fear, too early:

Friar Laurence tells Romeo that he is acting too fast when Romeo asks for Friar Laurence to marry them. Friar Laurence then asks Romeo, “Is Rosaline, that thou love so dear,/So soon forsaken?” (2.3.67-68). Friar Laurence is wondering if Rosaline, who Romeo was madly in love with a day ago, and was the reason for Romeo’s sorrow and lack of sleep, is now out of his life. He is pointing out, that Romeo has moved on from Rosaline, whom he loved to dearly to Juliet, who he only met a day ago. Due to him being so passionate, he caused Juliet to fall head over heels for him, making her willing to rather kill herself than be apart from him. Rosaline and Juliet are both described as beautiful in the play. In Act II prologue, the chorus reveals that Romeo is very passionate when they read, “Now Romeo is belov’d and loves again,/Alike bewitched by the charm of looks” (2.1.5-6). Here, the Chorus tells how Romeo loved Rosaline because she was beautiful, but moved onto Juliet because she was prettier. Romeo falls for Rosaline and Juliet both for their looks, before getting to know them. As Romeo fell so hard in love for Juliet the moment he saw her, he is shown to be too passionate, therefore explaining how because of this trait, he was the main cause of the star crossed lovers

When Romeo hears about Juliet’s supposed death from Bathalzar, he goes to a poor apothecary and persuades him to break a Mantua law punishable by death. Romeo asked for a strong poison that he will take, and he will drink it next to Juliet’s “dead body” in the Capulet tomb. Romeo swiftly persuades the Apothecary when he says, “Art thou so bare and full of wretchedness,/And fear’st to die? famine is in thy cheeks,/Need and oppression starveth in thy eyes,/Contempt and beggary hangs upon thy back,/The world is not thy friend, or the world’s law:/The world affords no law to make thee rich;/The be not poor, but break it, and take this” (5.1.71-77). Romeo persuades the Apothecary to give him poison, through attacking the Apothecary’s weakness, which is poverty. Romeo pledges to pull him out of his despair of no food or clothing, into a new way of life filled with the pleasures of life, with his money. Romeo persuades him to give him this poison, even against the odds that the Apothecary is a good man that follows Mantua’s laws. Romeo offered all of his money because he knew he wouldn’t need it, because he is planning on dying, because Juliet is supposedly dead. With Romeo now haven persuaded this Apothecary into giving him a poison, he kills himself with it next to Juliet’s “dead body”, and once she wakes up, she kills herself because he did, and this proves how