William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as a Tragedy
The story of Romeo and Juliet has been around for many years. The
earliest version of the story first appeared in 1476. In 1530 Luigi da
Porto set the tragedy in Verona and Matteo added a few characters in
1554 along with the plot. Then in 1562 Arthur Brooke translated it
into English, which became a long, narrative poem titled 'Romeo and
Juliet' and is recognized as being Shakespeare's primary source of his
play.
The story has been and always will be classed as a tragedy, though
some critics argue that Romeo and Juliet is not a true tragedy in the
strictest definition of 'tragedy'. They believe tragedy comes from a
flaw in the characters unlike Romeo and Juliet, which is more a
tragedy of fate as it was the circumstances around them which caused
the tragic ending, i.e the feud between the two houses.
The beginning of the play 'the prologue' speaks directly to the
audience by the chorus. The prologue reveals the essence of the plot
in a fourteen-line sonnet. The tragedy we are told involves a pair of
ill-fated lovers or 'star-crossed lovers' who will end the long and
bitter feud raging between their families by their deaths. The
prologue begins with the line 'two households, both alike in dignity'
which shows that each of the two houses are equal in nobility and
states that the feud rages between two families. Also on line 6 it
refers to Romeo and Juliet as 'star-crossed lovers'. The Elizabethans
believed that the stars to a degree, determined a person's destiny and
character. But now many people don't believe in fate, but believe that
they are in control of their own lives...
... middle of paper ...
... It's this feud that caused the death of Tybalt, Mercution, Paris,
Romeo and Juliet, as had there been no controversy between these
people none would have been slayed by one another.
Romeo and Juliet has to be one of the most famous romantic tragedies
of all times. But Shakespeare's play could not have been so tragic
with the feud and characters action because of the feud, such as Friar
Laurence's plan of Juliet faking her own death. This plot would have
never come about had it not been because of the feud, the fight
between Romeo and Tybalt, which resulted in Romeo's banishment. The
feud didn't really affect Old Capulet's marriage arrangement for
Juliet and Paris, but had there been no feud then Juliet could have
told her parents of her love for Romeo earlier and with no fear of
being told she could never see him.
Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is a story of two young lovers. These two hearts, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet belong to feuding families. The family feud causes them to keep their love a secret and therefore only Romeo, Juliet, Benvolio, the Nurse and Friar Lawrence know of their love. Romeo and Juliet are able to look past the feud and let themselves fall in mad love with the other. They let themselves do almost anything for the other and at times it seems like too much to do, even for the one they love. Although fate and character traits play a key role in the play, ultimately Rome and Juliet’s personal choices lead to their downfall.Fate originates all of the conflicts in Romeo and Juliet, from when they met until they die.
To conclude, Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy due to the tragic elements of Romeo’s thoughtlessness, Juliet’s attachment towards Romeo, and the plot’s dramatic turnabout. The play has both main characters tragically take their own lives, but there is much controversy whether it should be considered a tragedy or just a tragic story. Aristotle’s Poetics clearly outline all of the necessary parts to a tragedy, and Romeo and Juliet fill in those requisites. Despite all controversies, the one agreement everybody can come to is Romeo and Juliet is one of the world’s most beloved work of literature.
Love made Romeo put himself in dangerous situations, and caused Juliet to go against what her parents wanted. This is important to the story because it is Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other that ends the feud. If Romeo and Juliet never fell in love than they never would have killed themselves to be together. Their deaths helped Lord Montague and Lord Capulet to settle their differences and end the feud between the two houses. Therefore, without their live, the feud would have never
The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is about a forbidden love between two hateful households which tragically ends in death. It begins with Romeo’s broken heart from a dainty lady and a lively masquerade where two lone souls come together. However, their love for one another was doomed at birth for both households had a constant hatred for one another. Infatuation, rage, and sadness contribute to an unhealthy relationship between Romeo and Juliet.
The feud meant that they had to keep their relationship under wraps and tip-toe around their families. The ancient grudge between the two families meant that if one member of either family found out about Romeo and Juliet then they would be killed, ‘If they do see thee, they will murder thee.’ The family feud between the Montague and Capulet families could also be held responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because they both grew up with people dieing within the families because of the grudge. For instance Mercutio and Tybalt, Mercutio was a very loyal friend of Romeo’s and Tybalt was Juliet’s cousin. The deaths of these characters meant that Romeo and Juliet were both distressed and unhappy, and thus could have given more reason to their own deaths, ‘ A’ Thursday let it be, a’ Thursday, tell her,
Romeo & Juliet Romeo and Juliet was a tragedy, but it did not have to be. Many things could have been done to prevent their deaths. Many characters contributed to their deaths. The sole character that was responsible for their deaths is Friar Lawrence. Friar Lawrence is responsible for the deaths of the lovers because he was secretive with their relationship, he was unable communicate effectively, and he had a cowardly persona.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. It tells the tale of two lovers from rival households and the tragic journey that leads to their destruction. The play shows all the events over the course of four days in Romeo and Juliet’s home town of Verona. Monday through Thursday is all we have to see of the Montague and Capulet families to acknowledge their hatred for each other. The play shows the struggle of Romeo and Juliet in their efforts to stop the hatred between their families and live happily ever after. But despite their efforts, they end up digging their own graves, showing how different actions have different consequences.
“He who falls in love meets a worse fate than he who falls from a
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would
What are we made of? I mean humans of course, but what are we made of. We know what our bodies are composed of but what is in our souls or spirits. Are humans really superior to other living things. Yes we can talk, but what are we made of? We are made of our feelings. Our standards, our way of life, our way of thinking and everyone is different. Some may be straight A students with a normal life while some have had a rough journey and less than perfect grades. But there are some things that I think most people have in them. It’s a positive spirit. Now, everyones is triggered by different stuff but we all have one. But, of course where there is a positive spirit there is a negative spirit which is much, much easier to catch. Even though The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet doesn’t scream positive messages about human spirit there are still some in it such as, love can make you do crazy things, in hard times people can unite, and that even when everyone is against you, you can still do what’s right.
A tragedy is : a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically involving a great person destined to experience downfall or utter destruction, as through a character flaw or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or an unyielding society. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy in which the great person or character caught up in downfall and utter destruction is Romeo. Romeo’s utter destruction as a tragic figure is the suffering around him. All of this suffering and tragedy in Romeo and Juliet can be traced back to Romeo or the grudge between the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo is the most tragic figure in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, so he is the leading cause to all suffering to other characters.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story about a pair of star-crossed lovers whose demises were unexpected to most. However, their deaths were a result of their impulsiveness. It caused their problematic marriage, Romeo’s preventable death, as well as Juliet’s preventable death.
If the families didn't have this feud the story wouldn't have been tragic. In the play Juliet says“It’s only your name that is my enemy.” (3) Because Juliet said this she showed how the feud between their two families forces them to be apart. Without this feud the plan that Friar Lawrence created wouldn't have came to fruition. The feud between the two families also led Friar Lawrence to be forced to try and keep Romeo and Juliet’s marriage a secret because he knew how the families hated
to light that it is a false death. Romeo rushes to her side to murder
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, is a well known play. That it is still performed in theaters and English classes to this day. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a play about two star crossed lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. They fall in love, despite of the feud between their families. They were forced to keep their love secret because of their families, and they also got married without their families figuring out. This story is still read now because of its strong usage of literary elements. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet endures time because of its expert use of literary elements including foreshadowing, metaphor, and simile.