Lord Capulet To Blame In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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When a situation does not go according to plan, someone is always to be blamed. In William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet is partially to blame for the tragedy due to his inconsideration of his daughter’s opinions and feelings, however Friar Laurence takes most of the blame because of his failed plan to reunite the couple and his well-intentioned, but disastrous decision to marry them in the first place. Lord Capulet, although formally wanting Juliet’s consent to marry Paris, now threatens to disown her if she refuses. He expresses his disappointment and rage towards Juliet by furiously stating, “I tell thee what-get thee to church a’ Thursday Or never after look me in the face. Speak not, reply not, do not answer me” (III.v.162-164). …show more content…
If Lord Capulet did not place this momentous burden on Juliet, then she may have not tried to fake her death that ultimately ended in her as well as Romeo’s demise. Even though Lord Capulet could be responsible for the death of the lovers, Friar Laurence is predominantly the one to blame due to his lack of judgment throughout the play. Despite Friar Laurence’s good intentions when agreeing to marry Romeo and Juliet, thinking that it would end the feud, he neglected to foresee the potential negative outcomes. Upon his agreement to marry Romeo and Juliet, he hastily advises, “Come, come with me, and we will make short work; For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone Till holy church incorporate two in one”(II.vi.35-37). Friar Laurence already knew that tensions were high between the Montagues and Capulets, and by doing this he endangered the well-being of both Romeo and Juliet if anyone ever found out. If Friar Laurence had thought of the consequences, he could possibly have prevented the deaths of both Romeo and …show more content…
Furthermore, Friar Laurence could also be blamed for his failed plan to reunite Romeo and Juliet leading to their tragic deaths. The friar could have chosen any enterprise, that didn’t involve faking Juliet's death and sending a letter to Romeo, which left room for error. When explaining his plan to Juliet, he informs, “If...thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself… take thou this via;... no warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest”(IV.i.72,93,98). Thus, Friar Laurence had the option to choose a safer plan that that would have accomplished the same goal of reuniting Romeo and Juliet. Friar Laurence although intended to do good, would have been better off if he advised Juliet to run away to be with Romeo instead of devising an intricate plan. His plan even if Romeo did receive the letter it still had the potential to end very badly. It endangered the life of Juliet by encouraging her to take a vile of diluted poison and then sit in a tomb where should could suffocate if not gotten in time. Even though Lord Capulet could be considered responsible for the death of the lovers, Friar Laurence is mostly to blame because of his lack of his bad decision to marry them and his unsuccessful plan to rejoin the couple, ultimately leading to the tragic deaths of Romeo

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