The inconvenient "coincidence" which spoils the Friar's plan to help Romeo and Juliet live happily ever after is perhaps the most important dubious occurrence in the play. The Friar plots with Juliet for her to fake her death; part of his plan is for a messenger to travel to Mantua to inform Romeo that Juliet is not truly dead and to wait until all has passed with the funeral, etc., before trying to reunite with his young bride. However, when the messenger tries to go to Mantua, a plague has infected Mantua, and the messenger is not allowed into the city (which is, in a sense, under quarantine). So, Romeo does not get the message, ends up thinking Juliet is dead, and plans for his suicide.
Shakespeare's tragedies often rely on coincidences such as this one (the messenger just happens to arrive when a plague has attacked the city), and the audience is expected to suspend reality for overall dramatic effect. In this case, the tragic incident from Act 5 in which Romeo does not get the all-important message not only adds to the play's tension, but it also advances one of Shakespeare's themes--lovers controlled by fate. Because Romeo and Juliet are "star-crossed" lovers, no matter how either strategizes, the fates are against them.
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