Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare in 1597.Shakespeare was born in Stratford in 1564, he died in 1616.He wrote many plays but Romeo and Juliet is best remembered for its story of love with a tragic ending.In this essay, I will comment on the characters, what part fate played, and what happened by chance, before reaching the conclusion of who was responsible for the tragic ending.The nurse was very helpful, she had brought Juliet up, and she did not want her to romance with Romeo at first. She is strict and is like a mother to Juliet. To begin with the nurse encouraged the relationship, only when Romeo killed Tybalt, did she turn her back. The nurse's daughter Susan died young and Juliet has in many ways replaced her with her nurse's affection. The nurse has obviously had a long and close relationship with Juliet, which explains why Lady Capulet calls her back to join in the discussion about her proposed marriage to Paris (A1 S3).The friar is the one person to whom Romeo and Juliet can both turn to throughout the play. Everybody and everyone can speak well of him.The suspicion might well be entertained of a real friar who had acted like Friar Lawrence. But Juliet puts aside the worry with the rather unconvincing reflection that he must be a holy man. " What if it be a poison which the Friar subtly hath ministered to have me dead, Lest in this marriage he should be dishonoured. Because he married me before to Romeo? I fear it is. And yet me thinks it should not, For he hath still been tried a holy man (A5 S3 L24-9).The Friar gave Juliet the potion, Juliet believes in him because he was a priest. She carried out his instructions never thinking what could happen afterwards. I think the Friar did abuse Juliet's trust because at first she was unsure about taking the potion because she didn't want to die. She had all different images in her head.The parents of Juliet did not agree to the romance and tried their very best to keep the two apart, but they actually knew they were in love. Only the nurse and the friar knew.Juliet's family were rich and Romeo's were rich too, this added to the dislike of Romeo, they were jealous.In my opinion, the parents shouldn't have interfered. Romeo and Juliet were in love with each other but the parents interfered too much.Romeo and Juliet couldn't commit their love openly because there was so many feuds between the parents.At the beginning of the play they are described as "star crossed lovers".This suggested that nothing was going to go well.Romeo also tells Juliet " I will fear too early for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars. Shall bitterly begins his fearful date" (A1 S4 L106-9). "O I am fortunes fool" from Romeo to Juliet (A3 S1 L132). These quotes show that fate was working against Romeo and Juliet and caused the tragic tragedy.They are playing by words. They are being really romantic trying to keep together.My opinion would be Romeo is trying to keep Juliet comfortable and he doesn't wont her to drift from him. "Then I defy your stars" (A5 S1 L24).In Romeo and Juliet several scenes happen by chance. When the Capulet tells Juliet about the forwarding of the wedding, Juliet goes to the friar and asks for the potion. She then goes to her room and she takes it. The Capulets decide to bring the date of the wedding forward. (A3 S4).Balthasar has seen Juliet dead and rushes to Romeo. This happens by chance.When Balthasar rushes to Romeo to tell him that Juliet is dead, Romeo doesn't know that it is a trick. He hasn't received the letter yet from the friar, he was quarantined. It is chance that Romeo and Paris are at the tomb at the same time and that therefore Romeo kills Paris. (A5 S1).All the incidents above, I have written down all happen by chance. The characters hear that Juliet is dead.The characters are tricked which suggests who tricks people are cruel and unkind to each other.In my conclusion, I think that the ending was a tragic accident.The potion given to Juliet was to fool the parents into thinking that Juliet was dead. (And that Romeo has the same thoughts.) The nurse and the friar did not mean for Romeo to take his own life and they assumed that he would have the message.The tragic ending is a combination of many events, the characters never thought that Romeo loved Juliet enough to take his own life.If people did not interfere maybe their love would have lessened and they would have naturally parted.A tragic ending of a love affair, Romeo and Juliet.
