as already threatened to kill herself once in the Friar's presence. Although he later offers his life to the Prince – "let my old life Be sacrific'd, some hour before his time, Unto the rigour of severest law." (5, 3, 267-269) – he does not tell the whole truth to the Prince about what happened at the tomb. Even if he had, however, it would not have taken away his responsibility for the death of Juliet.
             Friar Laurence is only partially responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet however – several other factors must also be considered, particularly the role of fate and fortune. For instance, if the Capulet's servant had not asked Romeo to read the guest list for the feast, Romeo would not have attended, and therefore would not have been seen by Tybalt, eventually resulting in his banishment. Moreover, he would not even have met Juliet, and therefore would not have had the chance to fall in love with her. Later, there is another twist of fate when the news of Juliet's 'death' reaches Romeo in Mantua but the news of the Friar's scheme does not. This leads Romeo to the tomb, where the timing of Romeo's death, Juliet's waking, the Friar's arrival and the Watch's appearance coincide in such a way that Romeo and Juliet both commit a lonely suicide.
             Nevertheless, fortune would not have had its disastrous effect if Romeo and Juliet were not impulsive people. Romeo's decision to k
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