Journal Entry 7

I don't think anyone can be held accountable for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. In a way it was everybody's fault, but most of all fate's.

Their suicides were the tragedy at the end of the play. Because it wasn't a direct attack or a murder or anything, no one can really be blamed. You could blame the parents for getting into a feud, Romeo wouldn't have killed Tybalt, he wouldn't be banished from Verona, Juliet wouldn't be inspired to seek Friar Lawrence, Friar Lawrence wouldn't have given Juliet the potion, she wouldn't have fallen into a deep slumber, Romeo wouldn't be convinced his lover was gone, he wouldn't have drank the poison, and that wouldn't have triggered Juliet's death. You could blame everyone along that line.

If Romeo hadn't promoted his 'love-at-first-sight' instinct, he wouldn't have met Juliet at her balcony. They fell in love with each other before theyknew their parents' hatred for one another. Romeo knew the two families didn't get along, so he should have known the relationship was not going to work. Yet being an impulsive person, he rushed the relationship making the matter worse. "O, I am a fortune's fool!"

But there's two sides to every story. Juliet also promotes the relationship. She was too suborn to listen to her parents wishes for her to marry Paris. It was Juliet's idea for the two to get married. "If thy bent of love be honourable, thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow by one that I'll procure to come to thee."

Juliet surely knew the consequences of marrying a hated Montague. If she hate not been so headstrong and married Paris, it may have been a tragedy in itself, but certainly less severe than the end of two lives.

You could also blame Lady Capulet and her husband. They were absolutely sure the tradition of arranged marriages were the only way to go. It becomes apparent that the Capulets care more about their traditions than their daughter.


You could also point your finger at Friar Lawrence. He was the master-mind to the failed plan. If he hadn't given Juliet the potion, Romeo wouldn't have assumed she was dead, and the lover's lives wouldn't have ended. You could also see that Friar Lawrence was doing a good thing. Juliet was already going to kill herself. Romeo definitely would have killed himself after that, and the tragedy would still have happened.

Every character is responsible and contributed to this tragedy somehow. No one is to blame. The only thing which can be blamed is fate.

Journal Entry 6

In act 2, scene 6, Romeo asks Juliet to proclaim her love for him. I don't think he's having second thoughts about getting married, I think he's just insecure. He wants to confirm she loves him. I think he wants to make sure she loves him so the same thing doesn't happen that happened with Rosaline. He doesn't want to get hurt anymore, especially from Juliet. He's looking for love, but he goes into it too soon and rushes things.

Journal Entry 5

In Romeo and Juliet, there are many good examples of premonitions. Here are some examples:

1) Act 1, scene 4.

Romeo:
I fear, too early; for my mind misgives
some consequence, yet hanging in the stars,
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
with the night's revels, and expire the term
of a despised life closed in my breast
By some vile forfeit of untimely death.
But He that hath my steerage of my course
direct my sail! On, lusty gentlemen!

Romeo says this meaning he has a vision of what he sees following the night. He senses he'll fall in love with the wrong person, Juliet. He doesn't know he fell in love with the wrong person, and loving her will bring them both to their deaths.


2) Act 1, scene 5.

Juliet:
Go, ask him his name. - if he be married,
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.


Juliet means either way, she's going to die. If Romeo is married, she will die unmarried, because she will never marry another. She is also unknowingly foreshadowing her fate, in which her grave does become her wedding bed.


3) Act 2, scene 3.

In the beginning of the scene, Friar Lawrence is talking to himself about flowers. He says they can smell and tastes sweet, but in the end it can stop the heart, killing you. This is foreshadowing their deaths. They will be happy at first, but it will end in tragedy.

Journal Entry 4

1) When Juliet says, "What's in a name, that which we call a rose, by another name would smell as sweet." she is saying that just because he's a Montague doesn't mean she can't be in love with Romeo. A name doesn't make someone and it doesn't mean anything if you're in love. She is basically saying she can be in love with a Montague.

2) Juliet wishes Romeo not to swear by the moon because the moon is always changing. "O, swear not by the moon, th' inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable." Because of continuously changing shape, Juliet doesn't want Romeo to swear on an unsteady object to proclaim his love to her. She thinks that his love might be inconsistent.

3) When Juliet mentions the lightning, "Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be," she is saying that love can be like lightning. It might be too quick , and against good judgment.

Journal Entry 3

Paris wants to marry Juliet, and age isn't a big issue for him. Although her dad would prefer her to wait until she is older and make a wiser decision, her mother thinks Paris is the perfect man and she should marry him right away. She believes a marriage should be arranged with a man of high class. Her mother thinks the whole family will benefit if she marries Paris. 

I don't agree with their views in marriage. Juliet thinks she is too young, and I agree. She thinks she should wait until the right love comes along and you should want to spend the rest of your life with the person you love. Because Juliet is so young, she could make a decision she will regret for the rest of her life.