Introduction
Rome and Juliet is one of the famous plays written by English poet, William Shakespeare. Who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo of Romeo and Juliet? Fate is one of the most significant causes of this tragedy. Throughout this entire play, this fact is hinted, for instance the chorus prologue states that “pair of star-crossed lovers take their life”. However, there is one main character who is directly responsible for the death of the two protagonists, and that is Friar Lawrence. Lawrence is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because of three major reasons. One is that he agrees to marry them when he knows that their parents have not consented to the marriage. Secondly, Lawrence is directly liable for the deaths of the two characters because he was the one who gave the poison to Juliet in the first place. Thirdly, instead of personally delivering a letter that is of high significance to Romeo, he chose to trust it with someone else.
Another point that indeed shows that Lawrence is to blame for the death of Romeo and Juliet is the fact that he trusts Juliet, an unstable teenager with the fake poison. This is indeed an extremely poor decision on Friar Lawrence behalf. His idea for Juliet is was very risky indeed and he should not have tried it at all. It was an irresponsible decision and this is displayed in the part where he states that "If thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself take thou this vial no warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest”. Due to everything that happens, everyone is of the opinion that Juliet is dead and thereafter, she is buried alive. This fake death inadvertently fools Juliet’s father, Capulet and her whole family. This is related to the paper’s argument because if Lawrence had not handed Juliet the poison, she would not actually been placed in the tricky situation that she was placed in that eventually led to her demise.
Finally, Friar Lawrence is responsible for the death of Rome and Juliet because he did not deliver the letter explaining the fake poison situation to Romeo personally. Instead, he gives it to another person and it fails to be delivered. This mistake is inexcusable. It is display of incompetence and this is shown in the play’s fifth act where he states that "I could not send it - here it is again -". He also adds that "The letter was not nice but full of charge, of dear import, and the neglecting it may do much danger.” This is connected to the paper’s main argument that he is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because had he delivered the letter personally, death could have been averted and Romeo and Juliet would not have committed suicide.
In conclusion, it is fairly safe to say that Friar Lawrence is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet as evidenced by the facts stated above. Had Friar Lawrence not engaged in the actions discussed, Rome and Juliet would not have died.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William, G B. Evans, and Arthur Brooke. Romeo and Juliet. Cambridge. Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print.
Linnea, Sharon. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Woodbury, N.Y: Barron's, 1984. Print.
