Responsibility In Romeo And Juliet

Juliet’s Sense of Responsibility Causes Her Death A sense of responsibility is present in everyone. Some people have stronger feelings of responsibility while others barely have them. This sense or feeling is shown in characters as well. For example, Juliet, from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, portrays this feeling for people she cares about. Juliet's intense sense of responsibility towards her loved ones ultimately leads to her tragic death at the end of the play.
In her interactions with her family, the audience can first see Juliet’s sense of responsibility towards her loved ones. Juliet directs her first line in the play towards her mother. A mere four words, she says, “What is your will?” (1.3.8). Those words …show more content…
When Juliet hears about Romeo’s banishment, she runs to Friar Lawrence. She knows she personally cannot do much for Romeo’s situation, so she adamantly begs Friar Lawrence to fix the situation. She says to Friar Lawrence, “Tell me not, friar, that thou hearest of this,/ Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it./ If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help,/ Do thou but call my resolution wise/ And with this knife I’ll help it presently” (4.1.50-4). She threatens to kill herself if the friar cannot think of a way to solve the problem of Romeo’s banishment. Juliet is willing to throw her life away to solve a problem of a boy who she a few days ago. The problem was also not hers to fix! She had no influence on Romeo at that moment and therefore should not be trying to solve it with the vigor that she presents. After Friar tells of his plan, Juliet goes along with it. Friar’s plan was an in the moment thought that did not account for any inconveniences along the way. Juliet, a person who has shown herself to think through the pros and cons of situations, does not object to Friar’s impulsive plan. She even questions the potion right before she drinks it, asking herself questions like,”What if this mixture do not work at all?... What if it be a poison which the friar/ Subtly hath minist’red to have me dead,/ Lest in this marriage he should be dishonored/ Because he married me before to Romeo?...How if, when

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