Romeo & Juliet Who is to Blame
The Feud That Determined Their Fate
Six deaths in less than a week. There were many tragedies in the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In the story, the main characters Romeo and Juliet take their lives as ‘star-crossed lovers’, along with many other deaths such as Mercuttio, Tybalt, Lady Montague, and Paris. The story begins in Verona Italy with the feud between Montagues and Capulets. The story then goes into detail about the feud and introduces Juliet to Romeo. As the story continues, Romeo and Juliet are wed and many deaths occur. Romeo is exiled and runs away to Mantua. Romeo returns to find Juliet ‘dead’ from a sleeping potion and takes his own life to be with her. Juliet awakens from her spell to find Romeo dead beside her, and takes her own life in response. In the end the families, both with losses, end their feud and make statues of the other’s child in honor. Since the release of the play, many people have wondered: who is most at fault for the tragedy that is Romeo and Juliet. Some blame Balthazar, other blame Romeo or Juliet themselves. The evidence reveals that the families are at fault for their own losses, because the families have brought nothing but anger, grief, and mischief to Verona.
Some of the evidence from the play states that the family’s hatred is responsible for the tragedies. At the party, Juliet meets Romeo and they fall in love. After they kiss, Juliet finds out that Romeo is a Montague and is horrified because they cannot be together due to their family feud. “My only love sprung from my only hate (Act I, scene 5, line 138)” This quote says that the only person she has loved is the only person she has to hate. Even though the hate is of his name and not his person. This is the reason they cannot be together. It is almost as if their love is cursed. That they shall not be together no matter how much they love each other even if it cost them their life.
In the prologue, the chorus says that the feud has
Six deaths in less than a week. There were many tragedies in the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In the story, the main characters Romeo and Juliet take their lives as ‘star-crossed lovers’, along with many other deaths such as Mercuttio, Tybalt, Lady Montague, and Paris. The story begins in Verona Italy with the feud between Montagues and Capulets. The story then goes into detail about the feud and introduces Juliet to Romeo. As the story continues, Romeo and Juliet are wed and many deaths occur. Romeo is exiled and runs away to Mantua. Romeo returns to find Juliet ‘dead’ from a sleeping potion and takes his own life to be with her. Juliet awakens from her spell to find Romeo dead beside her, and takes her own life in response. In the end the families, both with losses, end their feud and make statues of the other’s child in honor. Since the release of the play, many people have wondered: who is most at fault for the tragedy that is Romeo and Juliet. Some blame Balthazar, other blame Romeo or Juliet themselves. The evidence reveals that the families are at fault for their own losses, because the families have brought nothing but anger, grief, and mischief to Verona.
Some of the evidence from the play states that the family’s hatred is responsible for the tragedies. At the party, Juliet meets Romeo and they fall in love. After they kiss, Juliet finds out that Romeo is a Montague and is horrified because they cannot be together due to their family feud. “My only love sprung from my only hate (Act I, scene 5, line 138)” This quote says that the only person she has loved is the only person she has to hate. Even though the hate is of his name and not his person. This is the reason they cannot be together. It is almost as if their love is cursed. That they shall not be together no matter how much they love each other even if it cost them their life.
In the prologue, the chorus says that the feud has