"A plague on both your houses. I am sped"(III.i.90). For as long as William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet" has been studied, people have argued over who or what is responsible for the tragic conclusion. However, from his first appearance to his death, quoted above, evidence proves that Mercutio is the main cause. Although he curses both the Montague and Capulet families at the time of his death, his curse does no real …showed first 75 words of 1102 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1102 total…and over-active imagination. Furthermore, the way his personality combusts on occasion leaves him murdered. This causes Romeo to commit acts he normally would not, leading to his banishment. His banishment leads directly to his suicide, and Juliet's coinciding death. So when Mercutio puts, "a plague on both...houses"(III.i.90), he actually does more than just insult them. He uses his last few words to set the tragedy of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in motion.