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Romeo and Juliet | Who is to blame for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet?

Shakespeare makes it plain that although the story of the young lovers is a tragedy, they are in no way to blame for the fate that befalls them. Instead, the responsibility for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet is assigned to their warring families. Clearly, absent the long-standing and pointless feud between the Capulets and the Montagues, Mercutio and Tybalt would not have died and Romeo would not have been exiled from Verona. Within the families, Tybalt and Juliet's father, Old Capulet, are responsible for the immediate dilemma that the lovers confront. But beyond this, the Prince of...

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