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I am sure thousands of people have asked this question over the last couple of centuries, since “Romeo and Juliet” gained popularity. Romeo and Juliet in the original play are teenagers who fall victim to a heartbreaking sequence of events. They were fated to be together forever, not die at such a young age. I always wondered whether any particular character could be blamed for the death of the young couple from Verona. In reality, I think there is no one particular to accuse. However, in my opinion, every single person has contributed to the death of the characters by hating, lying, and misunderstanding each other.
Romeo and Juliet – two star-crossed lovers who fell in love at first sight, the classics of world literature. Their love drives their goals and plans forward, despite the hostility between their families. Every reader feels sad for the lovers and immediately looks critically at the characters created by Shakespear that stood in the way of the relationship and made the tragic ending possible.
Capulets’ Servants Contributing to the Death of the Characters
While some personalities haven’t played a crucial role in the lovers’ death, some are worth the blame. The biggest impact was done by the Capulet servants, as we can see throughout the play. The story opens in Venice, Italy, with servants from both houses engaged in a street brawl that eventually gets the attention of lords and city officials, including Prince Escalus. Of course, the servants of the two houses of Montague and Capulet are enemies, just like the two families.
In the book, the Capulets’ servant, Peter, asks Romeo and his cousin Benvolio to read the party attendees list. He is the person most responsible for the death of Romeo and Juliet because his actions set off all the further events. Peter was an illiterate man who was never taught to read. He needed extra help to read the names on the list to complete the assignment – give the invites to the right people. He said, “I’ve been sent to find the people whose names are on this list, but I can’t read’ and ‘I got to find someone who can help me.” Immediately after seeing Romeo and his gang at the beach, he approaches the young men and asks for their help figuring out the names on the list. It leads to Romeo noticing Rosaline’s name and becoming determined to meet the girl he is in love with at the event. If the servants had never given Romeo the party list, he would have never snuck to the party and met Juliet, the Capulets’ beautiful daughter.
The Role of Rosaline in the Death of Romeo and Juliet
Other readers may argue that Rosaline herself is the reason for Romeo and Juliet’s death. Because Romeo went to the Capulets determined to find her, the girl he loved. When Romeo and his cousin were at the beach, Romeo complained to anyone who would listen about his love life. He felt uneasy about how he was in love with Rosaline and didn’t know what to do with her while his cousin tried everything to get the girl off Romeo’s mind. Romeo assured his cousin that all his sorrows were because he loved a girl who didn’t love him back. He says those well-known words: “What’s sad is that love is supposed to be blind, but it can still make you do whatever you want.” If Rosaline would see Romeo as he was and like him, he wouldn’t need to crush his enemy’s party to meet and impress her.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the people of Verona are generally guilty of killing two innocent children. However, suppose we dive into the story’s details and look for evidence of how somebody’s actions changed the course of events. In that case, we will notice that Peter, the Capulets’ servant, is the reason for Romeo and Juliet’s death simply because Romeo was never planning to go to the party at Juliet’s until Peter asked for his help.
- Shakespeare, W. (1993). Romeo and Juliet. Dover Publications.