Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, at the end of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", the Prince of the City announces that this tragedy is, in some ways, the fault of all those involved and that further investigation is warranted. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet are the immediate result of the crime of one drug-dealing apothecary. The author believes that the apothecary could have most easily and simply averted this tragedy merely by obeying the laws of his land; the apothecary had nothing personal to gain from selling this poison. Only greed or a blatant disregard for the law could have inspired him to sell such a poison. The paper concludes that, when watching or reading "Romeo and Juliet", it is important to remember that one does not need to be in the center of terrible events to have an overwhelming part to play in them.

From the Paper:

"At first glance, the tragedy does not seem to be the fault of the apothecary. It seems more convenient to blame it on people who were more immediately involved in the tragedy, such as the parents or the priest. However, all those involved immediately were blinded by emotion and social pressure. It was almost impossible for either side of the feud to end the warfare by themselves -- this was evidenced by Romeo's attempt at pacifism which ended so tragically in Mercutio's death. The feud was bigger than any individual within either family, so one cannot blame any single character on either side of the feud for their deaths, though one can blame their collective families. Blaming the priest or the prince would also be convenient, but on the other hand they were the only people to be actively struggling to end the bloody feud."

More papers on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet":

• Comparison Essay # 6383 : "Romeo and Juliet" and "Anthony and Cleopatra"
• Analytical Essay # 121979 : "Romeo and Juliet: Mercutio"
• Analytical Essay # 120581 : "Love in "Romeo and Juliet"
• Comparison Essay # 70800 : "Eumenides" and "Romeo and Juliet"

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