To what extent were Romeo and Juliet victims of circumstance or authors of their own downfall?

In this essay I will discuss who was to blame for Romeo’s and Juliet’s downfall or whether it was fate that led to their deaths. I will first of all talk about how each character contributed to their deaths in this order: Romeo and Juliet themselves, Lord and Lady Capulet and Montague, Mercutio and Tybalt, the Prince and the Friar. Then I will talk about how fate contributed and how it was determined …

…without her nothing would have happened. The Friar because without him nothing would have happened. The Lords and The Ladys because they should have stopped the feuding which led to Romeo’s banishment. And the Prince because he should have also stopped the feuding which Mercutio and Tybalt should have taken more seriously. I feel that Romeo and Juliet were very foolish and what they felt for each other was not love it was lust.