Ultimately, it is impossible to say who is to blame for Juliet’s death since it is a combination of many different people and circumstances that lead to her demise. Her family is to blame for a large part of the ordeal, since their feud has lead to her having to marry someone she does not truly love and the fact that she makes herself a target for this conflict gives her enemies the opportunity to ultimately orchestrate her death.
Juliet’s lover, Romeo, is also to blame for the tragedy as his impulsivity and arrogance leads to his suicide and an ultimate deprivation of hope for Juliet, as she believes she is unable to live without him.
Friar Laurence is certainly guilty, too, as his poor judgement and misguided plan to reunite the young lovers were the ultimate downfall of their relationship. He also is largely responsible for Juliet’s death, since he offers her a choice without a reasonable explanation or consideration for her well-being.
Though he claims his actions are for the greater good, his carelessness and lack of thought for her safety leads to her demise. It is quite clear that Juliet’s death was a chain of remote circumstances that were out of her control, yet if any one of these events had been altered, her fate would perhaps have been avoided.
And though it is impossible to determine with certainty who is responsible, these people and occurrences ultimately led to Juliet’s death.
Table of Contents
Why did the nurse betray Juliet?
The nurse betrayed Juliet because she felt overwhelmed by her role as Juliet’s confidant and advisor. She was supposed to provide Juliet with wise counsel in her time of need, yet she was blindsided by Romeo’s passionate plea for Juliet to join him in marriage.
While the Nurse deeply cared for Juliet and knew that Romeo was a well-meaning young man, she was concerned that such a hasty decision could have disastrous consequences for Juliet. The Nurse was also feeling pressure from Lady Capulet, who was pressuring Juliet to immediately marry Paris.
Ultimately, the Nurse could not handle all of this pressure and decided to betray Juliet in order to protect her from making a rash decision that could have ruined her future. Additionally, the Nurse was motivated by her own loyalty to the Capulet family; she felt pressure to uphold their wishes above Juliet’s own desires.
Why does Juliet not trust the nurse?
Juliet does not trust the nurse because she has lately been sending mixed messages. Initially, the nurse was very supportive of Juliet’s love for Romeo, but in the days leading up to Juliet’s wedding the nurse suddenly changed her stance and tried to push Juliet into marrying Paris.
She provided bad advice and urged Juliet to forget Romeo and move on with Paris, even though Juliet was clearly still in love with Romeo. The nurse also revealed information about Romeo to Juliet’s family without her knowledge, which made Juliet realize that the Nurse was not trustworthy.
Moreover, Juliet had also heard from her family that the Nurse was not to be trusted. All of this made Juliet lose faith in the Nurse and she no longer trusted her advice.
Is Nurse and Friar Lawrence responsible for death?
No, Nurse and Friar Lawrence are not responsible for the death of Romeo and Juliet. While it is true that the two characters have a role in facilitating the couple’s relationship, they are not directly responsible for their deaths.
The Nurse, in particular, is shown to be one of Juliet’s main confidantes and supports her love affair with Romeo. Although her eagerness to encourage their relationship could be seen as having a negative influence, she also provides Juliet with a much-needed source of comfort and support during a difficult time.
Ultimately, her presence in Juliet’s life has a positive effect, providing her with an alternate perspective outside the boundaries of her rigid father.
Friar Lawrence, while well-intentioned, also assists Romeo and Juliet’s relationship and is therefore indirectly responsible for the outcome. His advice to marry in secret highlights how his orders and suggestion of a potion ultimately lead to the couple’s demise.
However, his intentions were only for the best. While his actions did result in tragedy, there was no malicious intent and no evil consequence foreseen.
Although Nurse and Friar Lawrence have a role in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, they are not directly or primarily responsible for death. Ultimately, the tragic outcome is a result of the culture and climate of Verona, and the immaturity, recklessness, and arrogance of the two protagonists.
What are 3 reasons why Friar Lawrence is to blame?
1. Friar Lawrence is responsible for putting the plan in motion that ultimately led to Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. He believed that marrying them would be a way to reunite their families, but his hastily-made plan actually had tragic consequences.
He also should have anticipated the potential dangers his plan posed and failed to take appropriate steps to prevent disaster.
2. Friar Lawrence then contributed to their demise by bottling up his worries about their safety. He knew Romeo was in danger when he left for Mantua and cautioned Juliet to keep her wits about her; however, he failed to send any warning to Romeo that would have prevented the double-suicide.
3. Lastly, Friar Lawrence acted inappropriately and perhaps selfishly by running away after the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. His decision to flee was cowardly and created an even bigger mess as the deaths were not properly addressed.
His behavior prevented Juliet’s family from grieving and deprived them of any closure.
How did Lord Capulet betray Juliet?
Lord Capulet betrayed Juliet in a number of ways. Firstly, he promised Juliet to a man forty-two years her senior without her consent, as he arranged for her to marry Paris against her will. Secondly, Lord Capulet mistreated Juliet to the point where she didn’t feel like she could express her true feelings and had to pretend she was happy about the arranged marriage.
When Juliet refused the proposal, Lord Capulet shouted at her, calling her names and disowning her. In a last-ditch attempt to make her bend to his will, he threatened to never speak to her again if she didn’t comply.
In this way, Lord Capulet coerced Juliet into a loveless marriage and forced her to suppress her true feelings. His betrayal of Juliet’s wishes had tragic consequences leading ultimately to her death.
Is Lord Capulet a cruel father?
No, Lord Capulet cannot be considered a cruel father. Throughout Romeo and Juliet, there are numerous instances in which Lord Capulet has shown his love and affection for Juliet. He is often seen berating or threatening his daughter in order to get her to obey him, but his reason is always driven by a desire to ensure that she is happy and safe.
For example, when Juliet refuses to marry Paris, Lord Capulet does not show an ounce of cruelty towards her. Instead, he tries to appeal to her parents’ emotions and understand her feelings. He is even willing to change his mind and find another solution if Juliet is not happy with his decision.
Additionally, Lord Capulet repeatedly shows concern for Juliet’s well-being, which is a sign of his parental love for her. All things considered, Lord Capulet cannot be considered a cruel father.
Is Friar Lawrence to blame for the death of Romeo and Juliet?
No, Friar Lawrence is not to blame for the death of Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence was a confidant of both Romeo and Juliet, and his intention was to bring the two star-crossed lovers together. His plan – to have Juliet fake her death so that she could join Romeo and live happily together with him – failed due to a series of misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and miscommunications.
Friar Lawrence was not responsible for any of these blunders, and did his best to ensure Romeo and Juliet’s safety. Moreover, if not for his actions, Romeo and Juliet would have never had the chance to be together.
Therefore, Friar Lawrence is not responsible for their deaths, but rather their only hope of ending the rivalry between their two families.
Is Friar Lawrence Guilty or not?
Whether Friar Lawrence is guilty or not depends on the specific interpretation of his role in Romeo and Juliet’s story. On the one hand, it can be said that Friar Lawrence does not bear the same level of responsibility for the tragic ending of the play that the other characters do.
He was not the one to actually kill either of the two lovers. Furthermore, in providing the lovers with an outlet to be together, Friar Lawrence can be viewed as a sympathetic and humanitarian figure, showing care and understanding for their situation.
On the other hand, Friar Lawrence did make a significant misjudgment that arguably contributed to the lovers’ deaths. He should have known that it was highly unlikely that Romeo and Juliet’s families would ever accept their relationship, and that the desperate plan he concocted had a high potential for disaster.
Furthermore, he misled the couple by failing to tell them the real danger present in the friar’s potion, leading Juliet to believe that she would merely receive a death-like sleep that Romeo would be able to wake her from with a kiss.
Overall, Friar Lawrence can be seen as somewhat naively well-intentioned, but ultimately negligent in his role as an advisor. Had he not taken it upon himself to try to manipulate the situation with the friar’s potion and a secret marriage, the events of the play may have unfolded much differently.
As such, Friar Lawrence’s guilt lies somewhat in between that of the other characters, and his ultimate responsibility for the fate of Romeo and Juliet is debatable.
What happens to Friar Lawrence at the end?
At the end of the play, Friar Lawrence is arrested and held accountable for the disasters his missteps caused. He pleads guilty to marrying Romeo and Juliet and having aided their escape, and is sentenced to life in prison for his offenses.
The Prince is gracious enough to spare Friar Lawrence the death penalty, which is the punishment usually handed down for the types offenses he committed. Friar Lawrence realizes the errors of his ways and, while in prison, seeks penance through prayer and contemplation to make up for his mistakes.
The play ends on a note of reflection, with the Prince concluding that all parties involved were equally responsible for the tragedy that unfolded. Friar Lawrence is the only one to bear the consequences of his involvement, but he is ultimately left to seek peace in prison for his wrongdoings.
Why is it not Friar Lawrence’s fault?
It is not Friar Lawrence’s fault because he had good intentions when helping Romeo and Juliet. He tried to bring Romeo and Juliet together as a couple and worked to reconcile them with their families.
He thought that their marriage could bring a peaceful resolution to the feud between their families. Friar Lawrence was trying to be a peacemaker and act in a way that would be beneficial for everyone involved.
Furthermore, Romeo and Juliet were the ones who decided to take their own lives, which was not something Friar Lawrence encouraged or advised them to do. He was just trying to do what was best for Romeo, Juliet, and their families, and it ultimately did not work out.
Therefore, it is not Friar Lawrence’s fault as he was only trying to help.
