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Romeo And Juliet Responsible

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Who or what is responsible for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet?
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“I am not proud of killing, of being responsible for the death of a single person. I never will be”. Norman Schwarzkopf really capture the feelings one has when dealing with death, loss, and the responsibility of one's actions. Guilt is a strong emotion, one that can live with us for the rest of our lives. William Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet” tells the tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers whose deaths are influenced by not only themselves, but many of those close to them..As Romeo and Juliet fall more and more in love, their death also approaches with haste and it is learned that the Capulets, as well as Romeo and Juliet themselves, are equally responsible for the death …show more content…

Mercutio, a member of the the Montague family, then steps in to defend his cousin, but Tybalt has no second thought to kill Mercutio. “ Help me into some house, Benvolio, or I shall faint. A plague o’both your houses! They had made worms’ meat of me: I have it, and soundly too: your houses! “ (3.1.101-104). Tybalt’s reckless actions caused a great strife, not just between the two families, but also for Romeo and Juliet. How can two lovers be together when one has murdered the others close relative? If Tybalt had exercised restraint, this death could have been avoided, and Romeo and Juliet would not have had such strain put upon their relationship. Another instance was when Lady Capulet informed Juliet she had to marry Paris, a suitor who had asked for her hand. This occurs when Lady Capulet says, “ Marry, my child, early next Thursday morn, the gallant, young, and noble gentlemen, the County Paris, at Saint Peter's church, shall happily make thee there a joyful bride “ (3.5.112-115). Juliet does not like her mother telling her what to do and furthermore, who she is to marry. She loves Romeo and only wishes to be with him. In response, Juliet takes the matter into her own hands by faking her own death by buying a sleeping potion from Friar Lawrence, all of which eventually leads to Romeo's …show more content…

The Capulet family is to blame as the parents were far too strict with Juliet, forcing her to marry someone against her wishes. They were also very unfair and cruel in their judgment of Romeo, describing him as a villain, simply because he was a Montague. Tybalt's foolish act in killing Mercutio is also important as this was one of the first major events to cause a great clash between Romeo and Juliet’s families. Romeo and Juliet are also to blame for their own deaths. Juliet's decision to not communicate her plans to Romeo in terms of faking her own death, ultimately led to Romeo's suicide. Meanwhile, Romeo’s rash decision to kill Tybalt led to his exile and effectively ended his relationship with Juliet. A common pattern that emerges from all this is that many of these characters lacked patience, foresight, and empathy. The Majority of their decisions were made impulsively, without discussing it first with loved ones. Furthermore, many of these actions were conducted not thinking of what could be the possible consequences and if it is really worth it then to go through with these actions. Finally, many if not all of these characters lacked empathy, the ability to put themselves in the other person's shoes and try to understand where they are coming from. There is certainly an element of selfishness and only thinking about oneself throughout

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