Telenko1

Abby Telenko
Mr. Kings English I Honors
12/11/14
Pd 2
Two star-crossed lovers have been blinded by death, struck and wounded by the actions
of one man. The only love sprung from my only hate. Romeo and Juliet fell hopelessly in love
with each other, but was pulled apart by the hatred of their two families. There are beliefs that
Lord Capulet, The Friar, even Juliet are the ones to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Even though these characters could be at fault, John the messenger is the soul person to blame
for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. With John not sending the note to Romeo, both Romeo and
Juliet died.
There is a belief that the Friar is the one to blame because he wed Romeo and Juliet, and
caused all of the obstacles for them. If the Friar never wed them then Romeo and Juliet could
still be in love and alive. But the Friar was a father figure to Romeo and he looked out for
Romeo and wanted the best for Romeo. He also warned him about the marriage and he knew that
the marriage would not be perfect. The Friar only wanted Romeo to have good things and think
good thoughts, so the Friar wanted to prevent Romeo from having any sadness in his life. Also it
was not forbidden to wed Romeo and Juliet, the Friar wanted to end the feud so Juliet and
Romeo could be man and wife happily. Lord Capulet is also looked at as the person to blame for
the death of Romeo and Juliet because he forced Juliet to marry Paris, and if he never forced her
to marry Paris so soon, then Juliet and Romeo would be alive. But Lord Capulet never knew that
Juliet was married and he never changed his personality. He also wanted someone to comfort
Juliet after Tybalts death. Also, this is how marriages happened back in the day, they were
arranged. If Lord Capulet knew that Juliet was married then the course of Romeo and Juliets
relationship would change.

Telenko2

Abby Telenko
Mr. Kings English I Honors
12/11/14
Pd 2
But that makes it look like Juliet is to blame for the death of herself and Romeo. She is
the one who proposed marriage to Romeo, and she didnt tell her father. But Juliet knew what
she getting into when she mentioned marriage. She even warned Romeo that they were being to
rash, but she went to the Friar for wisdom and guidance and the Friar never deceived Juliet and
he looked out for her too. When the Friar created a plan for Juliet to be with Romeo, he knew
everything had to happen exactly the way it was supposed to. So when the letter was not
delivered, the Friar knew that put Romeo and Juliets death in danger. His worries were shown in
act 5 scene 2 lines 19-21 when he says, by neglecting may do much danger.
Although Lord Capulet, the Friar, and Juliet had a part in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet,
the soul person to blame is John the messenger. The musicians conversation in act 4 scene 5
lines 103-144 showed the audience that they were no longer playing for a wedding but for a
funeral. This conversation shows that the Friars plan was working and the only thing that was
left to be done was that John needed to send the not to Romeo. Romeo was at his ultimate
breaking point, being banished from Verona and being denied to see Juliet. He couldnt control
any of his emotions, and the Friar shows his characterization of being a father figure to Romeo
by saying, The law, that threatened death, becomes thy friend. And turns it to exile. There at
thou happy. A pack of blessing light upon thy back. The Friar saying this goes back to the Friar
only wanting Romeo to see the good in life and not have any bad thoughts. Juliet was also
breaking down mentally, and when she went to the Friar ready to kill herself, that showed the
Friar that Romeo and Juliet are depending on him to help them. Knowing that the Friar is a part
of the church and he was a part of Romeo and Juliets never ending obstacles, he would not

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Abby Telenko
Mr. Kings English I Honors
12/11/14
Pd 2
make this plan to have it fail. He put all of his trust in John and Friars mental state was lowering
because John would be the reason that Romeo and Juliet would love or die.
The note was either going to be Romeos last breath or a new sense of hope. But in act 5
scene 2 when John says, I could not send it. It was clear that it was going to be Romeos last
breath. Once the Friar found out he wanted to do anything to help Romeo make a good decision,
he needed Romeo to know that Juliet wasnt dead. This shows the sympathy and love the Friar
had for Romeo and Juliet. But it was too late, because Romeo had already killed himself causing
a domino effect leading to the death of Juliet. Romeo and Juliet would have still lived if John had
sent the note.