Who Killed ROmeo and Juliet by Isabel Learis 811

In the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet, the two teens fall in love, even though they have feuding families. In the end, they both end up killing themselves because they can’t be with each other. I believe Romeo and Juliet’s death can be blamed on their families, but in specific their parents.

If in the first place Romeo and Juliet could tell their parents things would have been fine. In act 1, Scene 5, Romeo goes to the Capulet party, in which he is not invited. If the families were not enemies, he would’ve just been invited and secrecy would have never been a problem. Line 69 in that scene says, “Tybalt: Uncle, this is a Montague, our foe, A villain this is hither come in spite To scorn at our solemnity this night / Capulet: Young Romeo it is? / Tybalt: ‘Tis he, that villain Romeo.” That night, Romeo and Juliet met and instantly fell in love, but as you can see from the excerpt from the play, the Capulet’s were not fond of Romeo or his family, referring to him as a villain. If they had just been friends, the families, they would have just let the kids been married and things would have been easy, but no.

Another reason their families are responsible for their deaths are because Juliet’s father forced her to marry Paris. Because at this point she was already married to Romeo ,she of course had to somehow get out of marrying Paris, which she was quite unhappy about. At this time, Romeo had already killed Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, and was exiled. Juliet then fakes her own death, but Romeo doesn’t know she is faking, so he kills himself, and when she sees him dead, she kills herself in Act 5 Scene 3. Line 119, Romeo says, “Here’s to my love (drinking) O true apothecary Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” If Juliet’s parents known she loved Romeo and were good with the Montagues, then this wouldn’t have happened and both Romeo and Juliet could’ve gotten married.

As you can see Romeo and Juliet’s death can be blamed on their parents and families. If they hadn’t been stubborn and in a feud for so long then the two could just go about being in love. but because the families were the way they were, Romeo and Juliet’s love ended just as quick as it began.