The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is commonly referred to as the “greatest love story of all time.” However, this tale of two lovers is riddled with death and despair and is not a story to idolize. There can be debate as to who or what was ultimately responsible for the demise of Romeo and Juliet, but when taking a close look at the happenings in this tragedy it is apparent that the ultimate cause of the lovers’ deaths was fate, character flaw, and the long-standing family feud.
The untimely end of Romeo and Juliet was ultimately caused by the flaws of each individual and their unavoidable destiny. For instance, one of the major character flaws of the story, is the two “lovers” behavior to act on impulse. The night Romeo and Juliet first met, …show more content…
“A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows, Do with their death-marked love, And the continuance of their parents’ rage,” (901). They killed themselves because they could not be together with their families’ approval. The feud was resolved a little too late, as the couple was already dead. “Capulet, Montague, See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love,” (1024). The Prince states, at the end of the play, that the feud is the reason this story has come to a tragic end. Instead of earning the pride they were searching for, they lost what they loved most. If the feud had not existed there would be no reason for the couple to take their lives to stay …show more content…
However, this claim is invalid because the Friar was a victim of emotion just like Romeo and Juliet. “O she knew well Thy love did not read by rote, that could not spell. But come, young waverer, come go with me. In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; For this alliance may be so happy prove” (944). In this paragraph, the Friar expresses how troubling the sadness and loneliness was that Romeo went through because of Rosaline. The Friar wanted to do what he thought was best by marrying Romeo and Juliet and ending the feud between the Montagues and the Capulet’s. Just like Romeo cared for Juliet, the Friar cared for Romeo and wanted to make him happy. Even though the Friar inadvertently caused the couple to die, he did it with good intentions. Without the family feud, there would not have been a reason for the Friar to give Juliet the potion or give Romeo the poison. Therefore, the long-standing family feud, fate, and character flaws are the culprits for their deaths and not the
The untimely end of Romeo and Juliet was ultimately caused by the flaws of each individual and their unavoidable destiny. For instance, one of the major character flaws of the story, is the two “lovers” behavior to act on impulse. The night Romeo and Juliet first met, …show more content…
“A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows, Do with their death-marked love, And the continuance of their parents’ rage,” (901). They killed themselves because they could not be together with their families’ approval. The feud was resolved a little too late, as the couple was already dead. “Capulet, Montague, See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love,” (1024). The Prince states, at the end of the play, that the feud is the reason this story has come to a tragic end. Instead of earning the pride they were searching for, they lost what they loved most. If the feud had not existed there would be no reason for the couple to take their lives to stay …show more content…
However, this claim is invalid because the Friar was a victim of emotion just like Romeo and Juliet. “O she knew well Thy love did not read by rote, that could not spell. But come, young waverer, come go with me. In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; For this alliance may be so happy prove” (944). In this paragraph, the Friar expresses how troubling the sadness and loneliness was that Romeo went through because of Rosaline. The Friar wanted to do what he thought was best by marrying Romeo and Juliet and ending the feud between the Montagues and the Capulet’s. Just like Romeo cared for Juliet, the Friar cared for Romeo and wanted to make him happy. Even though the Friar inadvertently caused the couple to die, he did it with good intentions. Without the family feud, there would not have been a reason for the Friar to give Juliet the potion or give Romeo the poison. Therefore, the long-standing family feud, fate, and character flaws are the culprits for their deaths and not the