The Real Killers of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet: their names alone will usually bring thoughts of one of the most tragic love stories to this day. Most people are quite familiar with the newlywed couple committing suicide together because their love was forbidden. However, if someone were to look at it from a different angle, Romeo and Juliet weren’t the only ones who decided their death. Yes, they finalized their deaths, but they weren’t the only ones at fault. In fact, they were murdered by people with good intentions. This leaves us with the question of who killed them? Most characters in this play had a role in killing both Romeo and Juliet, especially Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet; Juliet’s nurse; and Friar Lawrence, the holy man to whom the couple turned to for guidance. It was a series of events caused by these specific people that caused the young couple’s blooming love to be cut short. It all began with the Capulets and the Montagues feuding with each other. Romeo started off feeling depressed after he was rejected by a lady he was interested in. To cheer him up, his two close friends, Benvolio and Mercutio offer to take him along to sneak into the party that Lord Capulet was throwing. At this party, Romeo lays his eyes upon Juliet. Romeo and Juliet fall in love and later both realize they were meant to be enemies. “My only love sprung from my only hate!” (Act 1, Sc 5, ln 138)
Romeo and Juliet decide to keep their love a secret, and ask Friar Lawrence to marry them the following day. After the marriage, the audience feels as though things are going well, but then Friar Lawrence, Lord Capulet, and the Nurse began to get involved. The nurse begins with a helping hand, Lord Capulet with a threat, and the Friar with the plan. It is this, which leads the two to their deaths. The nurse in the kitchen with the knife! (Clue, Pratt, 1944) The nurse was just one of many people who killed Romeo and Juliet. She had taken it upon herself to help and encourage Juliet to marry Romeo. The nurse
Romeo and Juliet decide to keep their love a secret, and ask Friar Lawrence to marry them the following day. After the marriage, the audience feels as though things are going well, but then Friar Lawrence, Lord Capulet, and the Nurse began to get involved. The nurse begins with a helping hand, Lord Capulet with a threat, and the Friar with the plan. It is this, which leads the two to their deaths. The nurse in the kitchen with the knife! (Clue, Pratt, 1944) The nurse was just one of many people who killed Romeo and Juliet. She had taken it upon herself to help and encourage Juliet to marry Romeo. The nurse
References: Pratt, P.A. (1944) Clue