The Tragic Death of Romeo and Juliet - Coursework Example

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Who or what is to blame for the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet? Romeo and Juliet is a very well known story written by William Shakespeare. This story has served as an inspiration for many modern day plays and movies. It is one of the very famous works of William Shakespeare which basically revolves around the love story of Romeo and Juliet and the difficult circumstances that they face in their unity. The plot presents with the twists and turns in the lives of Romeo and Juliet and their respective families and terminates with a very heartbreaking ending resulting in the death of the two lovers. The death of Romeo and Juliet can be seen from different perspectives and it can be traced to be led to by many reasons. The story, “Romeo and Juliet” takes place in Verona which is a city located in Italy. Two well known families in the city who are the Montagues and Capulets have been engaged in a tussle since a very long time. Romeo is the son of Montague and Lady Montague. He is initially in love with a lady named Rosaline but she does not love him and denies his proposal. On the other hand Juliet is the daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet. Her father is presented by Paris with a request that he wants to marry his daughter. Her father asks Lady Capulet to ask for the consent of Juliet to which Juliet responds that she would think about it. But fate holds something different for both Romeo and Juliet. While Romeo is still pursuing Rosaline and Juliet is thinking about Paris’ proposal, they both come across each other and instantly fall in love with each other. Despite of the fact that they get to know about their family feud, their feelings do not change and they both secretly get married. After the marriage, Romeo indulges in a fight with a member of the Capulets, Tybalt and it results in the death of Tybalt. "And for that offense immediately we do exile him hence," (Romeo and Juliet, III, II, 191-192). He is hence banished to Mantua for his act. At the same time, Juliet is being forced to marry Paris. The priest helps her and gives her a medication which would make her go into a deep sleep and everybody would think that she is dead. He suggests that after they bury her she can wake up and leave with Romeo for Mantua to which she agrees. On the day of her marriage to Paris she takes the fluid and everybody thinks that she is dead. She is then taken to the graveyard of Capulet’s for burial. Romeo learns about Juliet’s death and he reaches at the graveyard. After seeing her dead body, he kisses her and drinks poison and dies. After this Juliet regains her consciousness and when she finds out that Romeo is dead, she also subjects herself to suicide. Different reasons can be seen for the tragic conclusion and suicide of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo can also been blamed for causing the circumstances that ultimately lead to their death. His indecisiveness can be seen from his pursuance of Rosaline to an extent that he enters a party of the Capulets to see her. It is over there that he falls in love with Juliet. He then engages in a fight with Tybalt who is a Capulet and kills him. As a punishment, he is banished to Mantua. This is also one of the causes which drift Romeo and Juliet apart. Also Romeo does not receive the letter in which he is told about the fact that the medicine that Juliet is taking will only make her go into deep sleep. His impatience makes him reach to the graveyard and drink poison. When Juliet gains consciousness and finds him dead, she also kills herself. Hence, he can be counted as one of the reasons for the tragic death of both Romeo as well as Juliet. However, the situations and circumstances which were created by other characters in the play also contributed a great deal to the tragic outcome. The immature end of lives of Romeo and Juliet may be the result of destiny and fate. The first reason which can be cited is the hatred between the two families. Had this hatred not been there, the fate of the ardent lovers would not have been death. Moreover, Romeo and Juliet would not have married in secret if their families understood the belongingness they had for each other. Tybalt was one of the major reason for arousing hatred in the families. Juliet’s parents Lord and Lady Capulet are also to be blamed for the deaths because when she refused to marry Paris, they went against her wishes and did not listen or tried to understand what she wanted. In fact, firstly they threatened to throw her out on the street when she denied marrying Paris. This can be seen as in the following lines of Act three Scene five: “Thursday is near lay hand on heart and you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend, and you to be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets.” Romeo and Juliet meet, fall in love, get separated from each other, again meet up and then ultimately commit suicide. It may be believed to be co-incidence. Romeo and Juliet came in contact with each other through circumstances which could not be prevented or avoided. The prime factor that can be cited for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet was Romeo’s banishment. It was Romeo’s exile that left no chances for Romeo and Juliet to stay happy together. In fact, in Act III, Scene II, lines 130-131, Juliet had stated that Romeo’s execution would have caused less sorrow to Juliet than his banishment had caused. The difference of timings was also a factor contributing to the tragic end. Had Romeo received the letter in which it was mentioned that Juliet was taking a medication to just put her into deep sleep, the tragic death of the two lovers would not have resulted. Also when Romeo comes to the graveyard and sees Juliet he expresses his love for her and says: "Death that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty. Thou art not conquered; beautys ensign yet is crimson in thy lips and cheeks." (Romeo and Juliet, V, III, 92-95.). If Romeo could have waited and moved Juliet or talked to her for a longer time, probably Juliet would have regained consciousness and the ending of the story could have been different. Thus a series of happenings and reasons account for the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet. Two innocent lives are lost due to the antagonism of two factions that is the Capulets and the Montagues. Their rivalry and the lack of support and understanding for the two lovers results in the death of the two lovers. The lack of coordination and the difference of timings are other reasons that result in heartbreaking ending of the story. References Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. London: Cambridge University Press, 1971. Read More