Who Is Responsible For The Death Of Romeo And Juliet?

A huge number of Romeo and Juliet essays have been written on the subject of who is responsible for the whole mess. There are so many factors working into it that it can be impossible to say for sure. The story behind Romeo and Juliet is as follows: Romeo is the son of a prominent Italian house, the Montagues. Juliet, is the daughter of a prominent Italian house, the Capulets. These two houses have been at each other’s throats for a long time, long enough that nobody living remembers why. For the time being, there has been peace, but this is shattered at the beginning of the play when the servants of the separate families end up brawling in the marketplace. Romeo’s father wants to get involved, but is prevented from doing so by his wife. The Capulets are throwing a party, which Romeo and his friends gate-crash, in an attempt to find a way to distract Romeo from his first love, who has taken a vow of celibacy. There he meets Juliet, and they form an attachment, despite being from opposing families. Slipping away from his friends, Romeo meets Juliet at her window, and the two plan to meet and marry the next day. The marriages takes place, and Romeo returns to his friends in order to tell them the happy news. Unfortunately, Tybalt, cousin of Juliet who was angry that the Montagues appeared in his house uninvited, attacks them, and kills Mercutio. Romeo then kills Tybalt in revenge, and runs to hide with the person who married him to Juliet. Meanwhile, Juliet is forced into an engagement with Paris at her father’s insistence. Romeo is banished for his actions – Juliet visits the friar who married her for help with avoiding her new marriage. He comes up with the idea of giving Juliet a potion that will make her seem dead, so that she can avoid getting married. He will then write to Romeo, and he and Juliet can escape Verona together. Needless to say this doesn’t work, and a lot of people end up dead. But who dies first in Romeo and Juliet? Mercutio is the first to die, and up until his death, Romeo and Juliet could have been a comedy of manners. Mercutio dies because Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt (his cousin through marriage thanks to Juliet), and so Mercutio steps up to do it, and defend his friend’s honour. Tybalt is then killed shortly thereafter, but it is Mercutio who dies first, and arguably his death which kicks off the main p...