The Nurse and Friar Laurence Are Responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s Death

In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet the characters Nurse and Friar Laurence are to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s Problems.

The way Friar Laurence encouraged Romeo and Juliet to get Married, The way the Nurse is contradictory in her views of Romeo and Paris, When Friar Laurence secretly married them, the way the Nurse is secretive about the affair and does not tell the Capulet’s or the Montague’s, when Laurence gave Juliet the sleeping potion, the way Laurence believed he was doing the right thing without thinking of the consequences, and the way Laurence leaves Juliet’s Tomb when he hears the watch coming, all combine to result in the lovers death.

In act II scene III, Romeo goes to see Friar Laurence to tell him that he no longer loves Rosaline, but has fell in love with Juliet. This amazes Friar Laurence, but he promises to marry them,

“O, she knew well

Thy love did read by rote, that could not spell.

But come, young waverer, come, go with me.

In one respect I’ll assistant be.

For this alliance may so happy prove

To turn your household’s rancour to pure love.”

(Friar Laurence, Act II Scene III, sentence 87-92)

By doing this, Friar Laurence has gone behind Capulet and Montague’s back, and started the momentum behind the lover’s tragedy.

In a few parts of the play, the Nurse speaks of Romeo and Paris with Juliet, each time she has a different view on who Juliet should be with,

LADY CAPULET

“Marry, that ‘marry’ is the very