Adult Betrayal

Teetering on the edge of life and death, Romeo and Juliet have big decisions to make to save their love. Romeo and Juliet's love is destined for destruction. Their secret love lead to tragedies that they thought could never be. These two young people did nothing wrong except for falling in love.   Lord and Lady Capulet and the Nurse of the play, "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, cause the deaths of Romeo and Juliet due to the lack to their support of Juliet because they are unable to understand her wishes not to marry Paris.

    Lord and Lady Capulet do not support Juliet's decision not to marry Paris. Capulet decides to marry Juliet to Paris but Juliet disagrees with Capulet's decision. Once Juliet refuses, Capulet threatens to disown her, "...you shall not house with me" (3.4.200). Forcing Juliet out of the house if she does not marry Paris, shows Lord Capulet does not respect her wishes. Capulet will only forgive Juliet if she will agree to his decision. Capulet states he will, "...give you to my friend. And you be not hang, beg, starve, die in the streets" (3.4.202-203). Leaving his only daughter in the streets to starve and die, also shows that Capulet lacks support for Juliet's decision. Like her husband, Lady Capulet does not agree with her daughter's decision. Lady Capulet listens to Juliet's decision and after learning Juliet does not want to marry Paris, she refuses to give Juliet advice and instruction to straighten the situation out. Lady Capulet tells Juliet, "Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt for I have done with thee" (3.4.213-214). Lady Capulet refusing to help her daughter, illustrates how unsupportive she is of Juliet's refusal to marry Paris. Lord and Lady Capulet are both angered by Juliet' decision so they leave her with the choice of marrying Paris or living on the streets to die and starve.

    The Nurse fails Juliet by disagreeing with Juliet's decision to remain married to Romeo. At first the Nurse...