Tragedy has been a theme of numerous Shakespearean plays. One of his most famous is ‘Romeo and Juliet’. This play is filled with heartbreak and calamity and it is sad to see that the love of the two couples was so brief. The tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet were of course expected even before the end. However, a more difficult question lies beneath the surface. Who is to blame for their deaths? This answer cannot point to only one individual but others must also receive blame.

Some may criticise the way Shakespeare writes about two teenagers’ relationships which are sure to cause a scandal even nowadays but nevertheless, the love does not die down. From the very first moment, we can see that we are probably going to be reading about another tragic story as we notice in the way Shakespeare mentions ‘star crossed lovers’ in the prologue to tell the readers this play is about a romantic tragedy concerning two adolescents.

First of all, once the reader gets the general idea of this play, if asked who are responsible for the deaths, they would without a doubt mention the Montague and the Capulet families. The vendetta between them does not help in any way and it can be said that they are nailing the coffins for their own children. Peaceful agreement is nowhere to be seen and the behaviour shown are just like cats and dogs fighting for something as trite as reputation; which would be short lived even if one family does defeat the other. If anyone suggests the bonding of these two groups, he would be treated as a madman or a new person in town. Lord and Lady Montague and Lord and Lady Capulet are among those who act like Mafia rivals and deserve their punishments. Lord and Lady Capulet should pay more attention to Juliet’s wishes instead of trying to force her into marriage with Paris. They never acknowledge that maybe Juliet is not ready for this immense step in her life. Juliet’s real intentions are seen when she says, “I will not marry yet. And when I do I swear it shall be to Romeo for whom you know I hate rather than Paris…” Shakespeare uses great poetic language. In one of the quotes by Lady Capulet, she says ‘I beg for justice, which thou prince must give! Romeo slew Tybalt…, Romeo must not live.’ Shakespeare uses this kind of linguistic device throughout the play, which was common at the time and sign posts were used to show the audience that something important is happening and is being emphasised or when something is coming to an end. The last two words of the quote which are rhyming ‘couplets’, create a dramatic effect which portrays a combination of both comedy and tragedy. From this, we can in addition, conclude that Shakespeare likes writing dialogues in a poetic manner and often includes metaphors and imagery. Also, Lord and Lady Montague are as wicked as the Capulet. Although they do not play too much part in the tragedy, their negative approach to the Capulet is bad enough. Overall, these parents are guilty of keeping the feud going.

If we explore this play with great intensity, it is possible to see that in fact, some characters who try to help the two protagonists are actually wrong in their approach. One example is the actions of Friar Lawrence. Although some might be shocked by this, the answer is actually quite simple. He is the one who plays the decisive part in giving Juliet the potion which leads to disaster. He tries to shed some light on a bad situation and he comes up with a cunning plan. He says, “…Let not the nurse lie with thee in thy chamber. Take this vial being then in bed, and this distilling liquor drink thou of… Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes to rouse thee from thy bed, there thou art, dead….” The main reason for Friar Lawrence’s decision to marry the two is probably because he thinks that this might help to make the two families stop fighting. Friar Lawrence says, “Till holy church incorporates two in one”. In the end this is proven to be the motivation for the two children killing themselves. He is responsible for getting news of the plan to Romeo but communication never reaches him, so Romeo thinks Juliet is dead. Relying on the sole delivery of the letter is a dangerous risk he obviously takes and then fails. Friar Laurence’s rash action in marrying Romeo and Juliet, his short-sighted plan for rescuing Juliet from an unwanted marriage to Paris and his fear of committing sin all contribute to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. However, the friar does take the time to step back and view the situation at hand. He chooses not to tamper with fate and he knows that things, good or bad cannot always be prevented. In this aspect, Friar Laurence is the only one who truly understands Shakespeare’s message.

The nurse looks like another person who seems innocent. Nevertheless, she encourages Juliet in her romantic fantasies. She carries messages, and helps the lovers to meet and get married secretly. She let Juliet’s parents know what was going on. She does not fulfil her duties as a nurse but treats it like something wonderful and exciting. As a grown up, she should ensures that they do not get carried away. The Nurse enjoys having something to chatter to Juliet about and she also likes being trusted. She cares for Juliet very much but she is too much of a chatterbox and also too soft to stop this catastrophe at an early stage. She provides a contrast with Juliet, given that her view of love is earthy and sexual, whereas Juliet is idealistic and intense. The Nurse believes in love and wants Juliet to have a nice-looking husband, but the idea that Juliet would sacrifice herself for love is incomprehensible to her.

The characters that are not directly involved in the mist of all the actions, but still plays parts in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet are Tybalt and Mercutio. They are probably the most violent troublemakers in the play and the dispute is unstoppable with those two around. They start the fight that results in Romeo being banished, and they are always causing trouble. They, more than anyone else, keep the hatred alive between the two families. They see everything as a joke and do not take anything seriously which in the end leads to their downfall. Mercutio’s unnecessary death provokes Romeo to kill Tybalt and if he does not die, Romeo would not be banished and there would be no reason for the loss of young lives. The language and stagecraft sometimes came together. Even at a moment of great tragedy when Mercutio is about to die, Shakespeare jokes by saying ‘Ask for me tomorrow and you will find me a grave man.’ Shakespeare manages to use play with word which probably was loved by the audience during his time. The violence that occurs throughout the play was because during Shakespeare’s time, they believed that men should live up to the codes of honour that existed at that point of time. This is shown as another important theme in the play as the majority of the deaths that occur are committed by characters who believe in this thought.

Throughout this essay, most of the blame is shifted to others. On the other hand, Romeo and Juliet both play a part in their own deaths. Although they are the subjects of a beautiful relationship, Romeo contributes to their suicide at the end. He acts too hastily throughout the play and should think more carefully about their marriage. It can be said that Romeo’s highly irrational personality is to blame. When seeing Rosaline for the first time, he falls for her but then, when Romeo meets Juliet, he immediately forgets about Rosaline and falls in love at first sight. Not only is this foolish, but also reckless. Shakespeare tries to deliver several aspects of human nature. One of these is when he shows us that “young men’s love lies not in their hearts, but in their eyes,” on witnessing how quickly Romeo forgets his love for Rosaline upon meeting Juliet. Shakespeare also tries to tell us there is fate in this world, and we should to believe in it. Both Romeo and Juliet know that neither of their families would accept that they love someone from the other family. So he decides 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 deaths. He acted before thinking for most of the time. Although Romeo is right to be angry at Tybalt for killing his friend, it is wrong for him, blinded by revenge, to go and kill Tybalt without cautious assessment of the situation. As a result, the only thing Romeo manages to do is to cause Juliet to feel hopeless and suicidal. We see this in the dramatic nature of Juliet’s speech. For example, when Juliet is alone in her chamber she says, ‘I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins…’ The use of the alliteration of ‘f’ by Shakespeare creates a shivery sensation, allowing us to sense Juliet’s horror at what she is about to do. The tone and mood is desperate as Juliet is constantly expecting the worst and also shows how dependant she is on Romeo. Moreover, when Romeo hears that Juliet is dead, he does not even bother to discover what really happened and fails to judge that her sudden death could be just a plan they need to escape. Acting on one person’s words is obviously not an intelligent move. Romeo and Juliet could find a more mature way to handle the state of affairs but in the end, they do not.

In the end, it is not an overstatement to say that almost everybody in the play contributed to the deaths of the romantic pair whether they played a major or a minor role. Fate, destiny and bad luck are in the end, the factors that condemn them to their doom. Shakespeare uses time to show that all things are meant to happen at their own time and place. People tend to consider time as stationary. The characters are constantly trying to rush time in their urgency. This movement of time results in tragic ends, in which we learn that time and fate go hand in hand: neither one is meant to be tampered with. Shakespeare enjoys using these features in order to create a sense of suspense in his tragic stories and makes the reader feel sympathy. Shakespeare relies heavily on figurative devices during his play and uses them a great deal. If the characters are alert at all times, maybe they might be better off. Despite the fact that almost every decision seems to lead to their deaths, some try to help to the best of their ability and it is the same in real life although thankfully, not every relationship in our world ends like Romeo and Juliet’s.