William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's plays about tragedy. It is about two lovers who commit suicide when their feuding families prevent them from being together. There were several events leading up to their deaths. These events include their meeting and falling in love, their separation, their reunion and finally their suicides. The tragic death of both Romeo and Juliet is an indirect result of the decisions and actions of several characters in the play.

One example of such was when Benvolio told Romeo to "Go thither [to the Capulets' feast] and . . . compare [Rosaline's] face with some that I shall show . . . " (Act I, Scene 2, l. 85-87), he was unawarely setting the stage for the suicides of Romeo and Juliet. 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.

When Romeo and Juliet decided to get married, they too were bringing their suicides closer to becoming reality. They each fell in love with the looks of the other; it was love at first sight. However, they both knew that neither of their families would accept that they fell in love with someone from the feuding family. So they decided to marry secretly, not realizing that their parents might have plans to have them married. This unforeseen dilemma puts the two in as much blame as anyone for their own tragic deaths.

When Friar Lawrence first appeared in the play, he was talking of how good intentions can sometimes have bad results (in Act II, Scene 3). At the time that Romeo asked Friar Laurence to marry him and Juliet, he agreed to, thinking that he could marry the two and then announce it to the feuding families later. He had hoped that this secret marriage would end the feud between the two families. But when Romeo was banished, this was no longer an option. The Capulets would have been less than pleased to learn that their daughter was married to Tybalt’s killer. Thus, the Friar's good intentions led to bad results -- the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.