The Responsible Character Behind the Tragic Deaths of Romeo and Juliet

The Responsible Character Behind the Tragic Deaths of Romeo and Juliet

In writing Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare has created a play involving

the complex entanglement of all of the citizens of Verona in the

tragic demise that befell the young lovers. The appeal of the play is

Shakespeare's masterful stagecraft, because the audience are told of

the tragic ending at the beginning of the play, but want to know how

they are driven to their deaths. By involving everyone, the audience

is left guessing until the end.

Even characters that feature very briefly or seem insignificant have

important roles - one example is Friar John, the messenger who was to

take the letter detailing Friar Lawrence's plot to Romeo, but who was

held back by the threat of plague. His inability to get to Mantua

meant that Romeo believed that Juliet was dead, and subsequently took

his own life. Another example is Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, whose rage

against Romeo resulted in the deaths of himself and Mercutio. In an

attempt to avenge his best friends death, Romeo killed Tybalt and

found himself banished to Mantua. The Nurse also had an extremely

important role in the tragedy. She acted as a go-between for the two

lovers and helped the marriage between them take place. If the two had

not been so hastily married, and also if others had not intervened,

perhaps they would not have had the problems they did.

It could be said that Friar Lawrence is one of the main characters

with whom a large share of the blame lies with. He was a holy man, and

with his position came the huge responsibility of serving as a

confidante for the whole community. This power was abused when he...

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... to the play by the dreams of the characters.

Juliet had a dream in which she envisioned Romeo dead:

"O God, I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see thee, now thou art

so low, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Either my eyesight fails

or thou look'st pale".

Then, later on, Romeo had the same dream - "I dreamt my lady came and

found me dead. Strange dream that gives a dead man leave to think!"

Ultimately, I believe that fate was the biggest influence of the

lovers' deaths, because this play was written for a 16th century

audience who would have deeply held superstition. They believed that

the patterns of the stars dictated events that happened in their

lives, hence the term "star-crossed lovers". Romeo and Juliet could

never be together because it was written in the stars that they would

never be happy.