Romeo & Juliet
Who's to Blame?
by Jasmine Smith
Romeo Montague is banished from Verona and is sent to live in Mantua. As a result, Juliet Capulet becomes brokenhearted and desperate to do anything to reunite her with her love and because of this, Romeo and Juliet both take their lives. "Take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilled liquor drink thou off; when presently through all thy veins shall run a cold and drowsy humor for no pulse... shall testify thou livest.... Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, and hither he come: and he and i will watch thy waking, and that very night shall romeo bear thee hence to Mantua" (Shakespeare). After learning she is being forced to marry Count Paris, Juliet goes to Friar Laurence in hopes of finding a solution to her problem. The friar then devises a plan that will reunite the two lovers without Juliet's family knowing. Juliet was desperate enough to hurt her family just to be with Romeo in Mantua. She wasn't concerned about anyone else other than herself, and hurt her family in the process. "But when I came... here untimely lay... true Romeo dead... She wakes.... And she, too desperate would not go with me, but, as it seems, did violence on herself" (Shakespeare). Due to certain circumstances, Romeo never receives the letter that Friar Laurence had sent to him. Instead, Romeo learns of Juliet's death and rushes to her tomb. He drinks a poison to kill himself so he can be with Juliet. Friar Laurence goes to the Capulet vault as Juliet is waking up. She sees Romeo dead and refuses to leave with Friar Laurence. Laurence leaves and in an act of desperation, she stabs herself with Romeo's dagger and dies beside him.
Character Analysis
JULIET CAPULET: She's the only child of the Capulet household and finds herself falling in love with Romeo Montague -her rival- after meeting him at a party her parents had thrown. Juliet is incredibly mischievous and sly. Unbeknownst to her family, Juliet and Romeo get married in secret. She had managed to hide their marriage from her family until the death of the two lovers: "Romeo, there dead was husband to that Juliet; And she, there dead, that Romeo's faithful wife..." (Shakespeare, Act V Scene III). Because of her age, the young Capulet seems to be immature in the way she handles some matters. For example, after learning she is supposed to marry Count Paris, Juliet throws a tantrum. She begs her mother "O, sweet my mother, cast me not away! Delay this marriage for a month, a week; or, if you do not, make the bridal bed in that dim monument where Tybalt lies" (Shakespeare, Act III Scene V). Also following the news of her arranged marriage, Juliet becomes overly dramatic in saying that she would prefer to die than marry Paris; even threatening to take her own life.
Lana Del Rey; For K [part 1]
After Romeo murders Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, he is banished to Mantua. Juliet becomes extremely upset and spends most of her time in her room crying over her husband's banishment. She becomes desperate to be with Romeo: "I think about him as he does time Miss his white wine, funny I don't feel free even though it's not me Is this what you wished, to leave me behind?... Is this what you wished, did you want to die?" (Lana Del Rey). Juliet felt lonely, as if her Romeo had left her behind. Once Romeo comes back to visit Juliet whilst in her tomb, he drinks a poison, killing himself. When she sees him, she feels as if it was her fault for his death and dies beside her love to be with him in death.
For K Part 1 - Lana Del Rey (may jailer) full song