Why Did they Die? Romeo and Juliet

The Reasons Behind the Deaths of Romeo and Juliet "From forth the fatal loins of these to foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parent's strife." From the opening scenes of the play it is made clear that these two children of the feuding families were destined to fall in love and eventually die together, but was it the actions of their friends that brought about their deaths or could it be that their deaths were just inevitable? Most people choose to believe that they have a sense of responsibility and can control their own lives; they suppose that their problems are caused by their own actions or by those influencing them. In my opinion though, Romeo and Juliet had no control what so ever, fate brought them together - their lives were already mapped out for them and there was nothing to impair this. Romeo and Juliet could not have avoided coming in contact with each other, they were brought together by uncontrollable circumstances (fate).

From the beginning to the end of their relationship, Romeo and Juliet made many selfish, irrational decisions. From deciding to go against their families, to choosing to kill themselves; Romeo and Juliet made fateful decisions. They were responsible for their own destiny. The story of Romeo and Juliet is one of great tragedy, but a tragedy that Romeo and Juliet created themselves.

Tragic Deaths in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet The deaths of Romeo and Juliet appear tragic, as the people around them were in a feud. The feud affected their relationship, which played a huge part in their deaths. Romeo and Juliet tried to keep out of the feud, but the people around them who were constantly interfering made their lives extremely miserable and unhappy. Because they were so deeply in love with each other, they refused to be spilt-up and took huge risks to stay together, which eventually led them to their deaths. The Prologue at the beginning of the play suggests that it could have been mainly fate that was to blame, 'star-crossed lovers' and 'deaths-marked love' are examples of this.

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a play suffused with differences. Differences like Youth’s ideas compared with the elderly, and bloodshed with the cessation of war. The two lovers in this play had seemingly no way to control the differences that overpowered them. In the end, the ultimate resolve was death. The tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet were because of three major differences; They belonged to feuding families, they were very far apart, and their parents had very different plans for them.

In the prologue, we learn that the only way the "strife" could be ended was by the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. "Doth with their death bury their parent's strife" (Prologue.8). Neither the Montagues nor the Capulets would have accepted the marriage. Therefore, keeping it a secret caused Romeo and Juliet to turn to other people for help and, sometimes these people gave them the bad advice, or just betrayed them. The Nurse was one of these characters who betrayed the young couple.

I don’t believe one particular person or circumstance is to blame for the death of the lovers in Romeo and Juliet, but a combination of history, circumstance, fate and personality lead the lovers towards tragedy. In terms of history and circumstance we must remember that in the sixteenth century, marriages were arranged. The play would therefore be considered very wrong in Elizabethan times as the couple are marrying without their parents consent. This is a very important point to be considered because the lovers rebel against custom and history in choosing each other. This is the major cause of their deaths.

The tragedy of Tybalt's death. Another result of the family fight, this was a tragedy for all involved, the Capulets and the Montagues, because Romeo was banished from Verona. The blight of the messenger not getting to Romeo in time. Romeo just missing Juliet awakening is surely a tragedy. To me this is one of the most frustrating things in the play, because if he just waited two minutes longer... And lastly, the death of Juliet.

The first scene in the play gives a glimpse of the feud between the two families when two Montague's are approached by Tybalt, and other Caplets, and a quarrel begins. The play eventually results in suicide for the two young lovers and shows how love can eventually end in a tragic mess. I believe that Romeo and Juliet's death was needless because it was not themselves to blame for, but the selfishness of their families and other people around them. The hatred, quarrelling and feud between the two families made their life unhappy because they could not lead a happy life, relationship or even be seen in public together. The death of Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, however has many people to blame.

Although there are many characters in this play that have contributed to Romeo and Juliet’s death, Friar Laurence is the person most to blame. Friar Laurence’s actions throughout the play resulted in the two star crossed lovers’ death. He assisted the two when they wanted to get married, which began the disastrous events in the play. Friar Laurence says to Romeo:In one respect I’ll thy assistant be. For this alliance may so happy prove, To turn your households’ rancour to pure love.

Romeo wouldn’t go at first, he was depressed because Rosaline didn't love him. On the insistence of Benvolio, Romeo unwillingly agreed to go. On the way to the feast Romeo still did not believe he could find a girl more beautiful than Rosaline. When he saw Juliet, however, his attitude as well as outlook on life had changed. This was the first action of many which led to the deaths of two lovers, Romeo and Juliet.