Essay Who Was Responsible For The Deaths Of Romeo And Juliet

In William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, blame can be shifted on almost every character in the drama. Lord and Lady Montague and Capulet could be deemed responsible for the deaths of their children as their feud is the original cause of the hostility. Romeo and Juliet themselves could be considered responsible for their own deaths. After all, they both died at their own hands. These characters are all responsible, but the person most responsible for the untimely deaths of Romeo and Juliet is Friar Laurence.
Throughout the course of the play, Friar Laurence ignores his own moral principles time and time again. For instance, when Romeo approaches the friar the night after his first encounter with Juliet, Friar Laurence suspects Romeo is just rushing into another relationship in an attempt to quickly forget about Rosaline saying, “Holy Saint Francis! What a change is here! Is Rosaline that thou didst love so dear, so soon forsaken? Young
When Romeo initially asked him to marry himself and Juliet, Friar Laurence was suspicious at first, as Romeo is prone to rushing into relationships. The friar changed his mind, however, because he believed that a marriage between the sole heirs of the Montagues and Capulets would end a feud that spanned generations. Friar Laurence was only doing what he thought would allow Romeo to be happy and bring peace to Verona. When asked to create a plan saving Juliet from a marriage to Paris, Friar Laurence was put into an incredibly stressful position as Juliet was suicidal and looking for any way out. When confronted by the Prince, Laurence says, “To rid herself of this second marriage, or in my cell there would she kill herself” (5.3.242-243). In his stressed state, perhaps the plan involving the potion and Romeo meeting her in the tomb appeared to be the best, if not only way