Who Is To Blame For Mercutio's Death

In Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, the cause of Mercutio's death can be attributed to the circumstances that surrounded the two families. The friction between the Capulets and Montague's family environments was quite a hostile one which supported multiple violent acts. Before Mercutio died, his last few words were, “A plague a’ both your houses!”(A3.S1.L108). Rather than blaming Tybalt for his death, Mercutio put a curse on both the Capulet and Montague houses. The emotional conflict between the families certainly played a dominant role in the death of Mercutio. From a reader's point of view, I think Romeo, Tybalt, and Mercutio himself are to blame for his death. However, the family dynamics between the two families was the true case. The Capulets being a wealthy and powerful group …show more content…
The attempt to blend the two families indiscreetly through the romance of Romeo and Juliet brought upon the unfortunate demise of Mercurio. Romeo blames himself and his obsession over Juliet's beauty for the death of his close friend, “...My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt in my behalf. My reputation stained with Tybalt’s slander.—Tybalt, that an hour hath been my kinsman! O sweet Juliet, thy beauty hath made me effeminate. And in my temper softened valor’s steel!” (A3.S1.L71-77). If he wasn’t so distracted by Juliet’s beauty, he would have remembered to protect himself from any conflict involving the Capulets. At this point in the play, Romeo is married to Juliet and now a kingsman to Tybalt, trying to avoid any violent confrontation, “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee. Doth much excuse the appertaining rage. To such a greeting. Villain am I none. Therefore, farewell. I see thou know’st me not” (A3.S1.L35). He