Romeo and Juliet- Juliet's Death

In the play Romeo and Juliet, both of the main characters end up dying tragically by committing a double suicide. In a way, the argument can be made that several of the characters were responsible for Juliet's death but in my opinion, nobody other than Juliet herself was responsible for her death. I believe that although Romeo and Friar Lawrence, among many of the other characters, may have indirectly caused her death, she was the only person directly responsible for it. 


I think that Romeo and Friar Lawrence may have indirectly caused her to take her own life but they are not responsible for her doing it. Friar Lawrence is the one that married them which is something he should never have done in the first place because it caused a chain of events that led to both Juliet's, and Romeo's deaths. He is also the one that gave Juliet the sleeping potion and caused the confusion that led to Romeo's death, which consequently, led to Juliet's death. Awakening from her sleep to find her husband dead next to her was too much for Juliet to handle which is why I think Romeo was indirectly involved in her death.

However, the reason that I think she was responsible for her own death is because she could have chosen any other option rather than committing suicide. If she had been stronger when she awoke to find Romeo dead next to her, she would have still been alive. She could have found a different way to deal with his death. Instead, she decided to take the easy way out and end her life. 


Overall, although many of the characters might have had some part in her death, none of them put the dagger in her hand and made her stab herself. She made a conscious decision to end her own life because she couldn't handle it anymore; therefore, she is the only one responsible for her own death.