Jessie Kerby

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Recommended: Explain the love of Romeo and Juliet

What Type of Play is Romeo and Juliet?
“Pitiful sight! Here lies the county slain; And Juliet bleeding warm, and newly dead,…” (Shakespeare Act V. v. 174-175). From this quote in Romeo and Juliet, many would assume that this play is a tragedy because the definition of a tragedy is, “A dramatic composition,… typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction,” (“Tragedy” number 1). However, others may assume Romeo and Juliet is a love story because a love story is, “A story dealing with love,” (“love story” sentence 1), and in Romeo and Juliet, the young teenagers fall in love. Romeo and Juliet follows through with the plot of a tragedy rather than a love story because of characteristics throughout the play.
The definition of love differentiates from person to person, but most would agree that Romeo and Juliet does not have true love. Romeo and Juliet is written to be pictured as a love story, however, “Shakespeare presents this (love) as a force of nature, so strong that it transcends societal conventions,” (Jamieson para. 5). People believe that love takes time to develop between a couple, but Romeo and Juliet fell in love within hours. The night after the party, Romeo said he needed to see Juliet again because he loved her. Shakespeare presents them falling in love at first sight but most people would fall in love with a person they know. Love takes time to develop such strong feelings for your partner. Romeo and Juliet fell in love with just looks. According to Lee Jamieson in “How Does Shakespeare Handle Love in Romeo and Juliet,” he says, “… Romeo is in love with Rosaline at the start of the play, which is presented ...

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...liet?" About.comShakespeare. About.com, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .
"love story." Dictionary.com. WordNet® 3.0. Princeton University. n.d. Web. 08 May. 2014. .
Mabillard, Amanda. “Romeo and Juliet: Q & A”. Shakespeare Online. N.p. 21 Nov. 2000. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/faq/romeofaq.html>.
Shakespeare, William, and Richard Hosley. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. New Haven: Yale UP, 1954. Print.
"Love and Romance." TeensHealth. The Nemours Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .
"Tragedy." The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. n.d. 08 May. 2014. Web. .

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