The Attribution of Responsibility for Events in "The Douglas Tragedy"

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The Attribution of Responsibility for Events in "The Douglas Tragedy" Sir Walter Scott's ballad The Douglas Tragedy provides us with a look into the consequences of actions and lack of action taken for the sake of love. Lord William and Lady Margret are at the central figures in the ballad, their action of stealing away together in the dead of night precipitating a night of death and sorrow. Although Lord William is held responsible for the physical tragedies that occur within the ballad, the moral responsibility for the tragedies falls on Lady Margret and her mother Lady Douglas. Having ridden away in the middle of the night the pair of lovers find themselves pursued by Lady Margret's father and seven brothers at the emphatic urging of her mother Lady Douglas. Lady Douglas' call for the retrieval of her daughter does not come out of a sense of responsibility for said daughter but is instead motivated by the possible social implications and consequences of her daughter's actions and how those actions would reflect on her and her family. "Let it never be said that a daughter of thine / Was married to a lord under night." The call to arms of the men in her family by Lady Douglas was not necessary in the middle of the night, as her daughter had already willingly left her home with Lord William in the name of love. Without the mothers call the men would have been none the wiser to Lady Margret's actions until morning and may have been more logical about their approach to the situation. As such Lady Douglas holds a portion of the responsibility for her son's deaths. Lord William when confronted with the pursuit of Lady Margret's seven brothers and father is more than willing to defend his actions in stealing away with Lady Margret in the middle of the night. Lord William makes the decision to fight for her although the more prudent choice may have been to

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