The Cause Of The Tragedy Essay, Research Paper
Romeo and Juliet, is a story of two young lovers whose love was destined for destruction. They did not imagine that their love would lead to the tragedies that it did. These two young people did nothing wrong except fall in love. Three aspects of their destruction included the feud between the two families, the nurse and her betrayal of Juliet and the most important aspect of all is fate.
The feud between the two families was one factor that contributed to the love of Romeo and Juliet being destined for destruction. “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny”. (Romeo & Juliet, Prologue, Line 3) The two families, Montagues and Capulets, had many problems. There was hate between the two families so much so that even the servants hated each other. This feud would have caused many problems for Romeo and Juliet: These two young lovers knew this and this is why they kept their marriage a secret. If their parents discovered their secret, they would have made their children’s lives miserable. Romeo and Juliet would not have been able to see each other. Both of these families were very stubborn and there was hardly any thing that would have made them become friends.
In the prologue we learn that the only way the conflict could be ended was by the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. “Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife” (Romeo & Juliet, Prologue, Line 8). Neither the Montagues nor the Capulets would have accepted the marriage. Keeping the marriage a secret caused Romeo and Juliet to turn to other people for help. Sometimes these people gave them the wrong advice or just betrayed them. The Nurse was one of these characters who betrayed the young couple. The Nurse who was also Juliet’s friend turned against her at a very crucial time. The Nurse told Juliet that it would be best if she married Paris. “I think it best you married with the county”. (Romeo & Juliet, pg. 82, Act 3, Scene 5, line 219) This betrayal by the Nurse left Juliet alone. She was a wise young woman but it still would have been beneficial for her to have the help of the Nurse. Juliet was left on her own to make some very important decisions. I believe that if the Nurse had been around to help Juliet things may have turned out differently. Juliet had no one to turn to and ask for help. She could not have gone to her parents because they would not have understood. The Nurse was supposed to be one of Juliet’s best friends. Now when it was important for Juliet to have someone there, for her she was betrayed.
When considering the destruction of Romeo and Juliet the most significant fact you must think about is fate. Fate, above all, is to blame for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Many instances in the play reveal that the love of Romeo and Juliet would end in death. “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life”. (Romeo & Juliet, Prologue, Line 6) From the very beginning it is evident that they were ill-fated. Some people may think that there is no way to control fate or change what is in the stars. It could be that the love of Romeo and Juliet was destined for death so that their parent’s feud would be over. Also, in the prologue it states that the dreadful course of their love was destined for death. “The fearful passage of their death marked love”. (Romeo & Juliet, Prologue, line 9) Both of these quotes show us that the love of these two was destined to end tragically. The masquerade party was above all the most important aspect of fate. The fact that Romeo was wearing a mask and his face was hidden allowing Juliet to fall in love with him before she saw who it was. If Juliet had known who Romeo was she would probably have not fallen in love with him.
Fate could not have been changed whatever was meant to be would happen and no one could change that.
In conclusion, from the very beginning, the love of Romeo and Juliet was destined to be destroyed. It is tragic that both these people had to die. There were circumstances throughout the course of their lives that led up to their deaths. If their parent’s had not been feuding and if the Nurse had not betrayed Juliet, the outcome of this story may have been different, although fate could not be changed. The murderer in the case of Romeo and Juliet was, over all, fate. “For never was there a story of more woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” (Romeo & Juliet, Act 5, Scene 3, pg. 114, lines 308-309).
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