I could not send it, – here it is again, –
Nor get a messenger to bring it thee,
So fearful were they of infection.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 5, Scene 2. Friar John tells Friar Laurence that he was unable to deliver Laurence’s letter to Romeo because he was quarantined due to a plague outbreak. This crucially important letter was meant to inform Romeo of Juliet’s intention to fake her death with a sleeping potion. As a result of not receiving it, Romeo will be led to believe that Juliet is truly dead, leading to his decision to take his life followed by Juliet’s suicide also. Friar John’s failure and Laurence’s recklessness in giving Juliet the sleeping potion will lead to the young lovers’ tragic fate.