Debate: Who is Responsible [The Drawbridge Exercise]

Greeings, citizens of the Mibbian Empire =D

I was stumbling around cyberspace and came across an interesting story. The objective is to determine how responsible each of the story's characters are for the protagonist's death.
The list I came up with, from greatest to least, was as follows: Mad Man, Baroness, Lover, Baron, Friend, Boatman.

Ok, so here's the story:

As he left for a visit to his outlying districts, the jealous Baron warned his pretty wife: "Do not leave the castle while I am gone, or I will punish you severely when I return!"

But as the hours passed, the young Baroness grew lonely, and despite her husband's warning, decided to visit her lover who lived in the country side nearby.
The castle was located on an island in a wide, fast flowing river, with a drawbridge linking the island to the land at the narrowest point in the river.

"Surely my husband will not return before dawn," she thought, and ordered her servants to lower the drawbridge and leave it down until she returned. After spending several pleasant hours with her lover, the Baroness returned to the drawbridge--only to find it blocked by a madman wildly waving a long and cruel knife.

"Do not attempt to cross the bridge, Baroness, or I will kill you," he raved.

Fearing for her life, the Baroness returned to her lover and asked him to help.
"Our relationship is only a romantic one," he said, "I will not help."

The Baroness then sought out a boatman on the river, explained her plight to him, and asked him to take her across the river in his boat.

"I will do it, but only if you can pay my fee of five Marks."

"But I have no money with me!" the Baroness protested.

"That is too bad. No money, no ride," the boatman said flatly.

Her fear growing, the Baroness ran crying to the home of a friend, and after explaining the situation, begged for enough money to pay the boatman his fee.

"If you had not disobeyed your husband, this would not have happened," the friend said. "I will give you no money."

With dawn approaching and her last resource exhausted, the Baroness returned to the bridge in desperation, attempted to cross to the castle, and was slain by the madman.


So? Which characters are the most to least guilty? Why so? Just wanted to know what the rest of you guys thought of this =)

Much love,
Alexandra
November 28th, 2009 at 12:07pm