Preview

Romeo and Juliet: Tragedy, Love Story or Both?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
592 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Romeo and Juliet: Tragedy, Love Story or Both?
Romeo and Juliet: Tragedy, Love Story or Both?

Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, is the tale of two lovers who take their lives for each other when their love is hindered by their feuding parents.
After reading Romeo and Juliet, apparently a tragedy, I would say that this story contains aspects of both a love story and a tragedy. The tale of two teenagers who fall in love at first sight and then marry, become true lovers and then risk it all for their love cannot surely be all tragedy. However, it is a tragedy, and has been called that for decades.

I will discuss with you what makes this story a tragedy, and then what makes it a love story.

To begin, the family Montague and the family Capulet had been locked in a feud for years, even so that their servants fought on the street. This is the tragedy that sets off the train of other misfortunes, and if these conflicts were resolved, none of the further things I am about to mention would have happened.

The tragedy of Romeo's love for Rosalind, she too was a Capulet, and so that barred his love for her, although she also did not love him.

Quite obviously, the misfortune of Romeo and Juliet's forbidden love. This is the basis of the whole story. For two people to love each other and not be able to show their true feelings for each other is ultimately very frustrating. It's
"Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" style.

The tragedy of Tybalt's death. Another result of the family fight, this was a tragedy for all involved, the Capulets and the Montagues, because Romeo was banished from Verona. The blight of the messenger not getting to Romeo in time.

Romeo just missing Juliet awakening is surely a tragedy. To me this is one of the most frustrating things in the play, because if he just waited two minutes longer... And lastly, the death of Juliet. It is sad that she felt she had to take her own life to be with the one she truly loved.

The first thing in this story which makes me say that it is a love story is the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet is without doubt one of the most well-known love story. Throughout the five acts of the play, one tragedy follows another, with the famous suicide of Romeo and Juliet as a tragic conclusion. Throughout the play, it may seem that Romeo caused these events to unfold, however it is unjust to say that he bears all responsibility for the tragedy. The decisions, actions and circumstances that other characters made and faced have also contributed to the tragic outcome. Nevertheless, it is also in the hands of fate that destined the immature deaths of Romeo and Juliet…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many people who agree to the message of undeniable love, but some people who don’t think so due to their age. Possibly, their age make this story even more meaningful. The story could be seen as just two teenagers, who don’t know what love is. If one looked closely, the message of true love…

    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, it was said that the real tragedy is that everyone loses. Clearly the theme of loss frequently confronts each character in their own ways such as their death, loved ones death and star-crossed love. However it is most strikingly developed through the main characters; Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, Mercutio, Capulet and Montague who seem to be affected by the theme of lost much more personally than other characters. Yet, throughout the play there are traces of optimistic themes such as love and friendship shown in various scenes featuring these same characters. Even though it many seem that Romeo and Juliet has a tragic ending, many if not all the characters lived new experiences showing that they haven't lost everything; the journey is more important than the end. Hence it is incorrect to say that the real tragedy of the play is that everyone loses.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What would happen if two star-crossed lovers dared to go against their parents’ wishes and tempted fate? At what price would they pay, for the price of love? William Shakespeare brought those questions to life in the story of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. There are many characters to blame for the deaths of the star-crossed lovers, however, there are three that are found more responsible than the others. Romeo and Juliet are deemed responsible for their untimely deaths while the Friar is held accountable for encouraging their unjustly marriage. The three of them; Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence, are to blame for their irrational and impulsive behavior.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The story of Romeo and Juliet is a romantic story of one broken hearted boy and a girl who is trying to find the right person to marry.The young man Romeo goes to the party of his family's enemy and find the young women juliet.Both Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight but what the don't know is that the are each other's families enemies…

    • 67 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Love tragedies never end very happy, but some do. Romeo and Juliet is the most famous and well known Shakespeare written love tragedy ever told.The story revolves around two young,star-crossed lovers,who cannot understand the hatred of an older generation.This eventually leads to the death of them.Many things may have ended the deaths of Romeo and Juliet but ,Lord capulet and Romeo play the strongest roles in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.…

    • 387 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet are doomed since the couple is from different sides and their hysterical actions that sprouted from their bitter family relationships almost influences fate to devastatingly act against them. The two families- Montague and Capulet- are ancient foes that disturbed the peace of all citizens in Verona so it’s a clear sign that…

    • 1919 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare shares the archetypal love story between two lovers of opposing households. Aside from the title, Romeo and Juliet, meets the criteria of a tragedy by emphasizing the protagonists’ tragic flaw in the process of their fall. Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet falls best under phase two tragedy due to the tragedy of innocence and confusion in an adult situation.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1595. It is widely known to be a tragedy but what caused this atrocity to be so renown? It may be universally known that fate played the principal role throughout the play but by examining the specific circumstances and causes of these situations, it is evident that all the events leading to the tragedy are the result of choice rather than fate. Many believe predetermined destiny was key to the deaths of the “star-crossed lovers” but the characters were never left without options and each had a choice to make at every turn of the play. It was unarguably the decisions made by the characters, not those made by fate, that were responsible for the tragedy in Romeo and Juliet.…

    • 1609 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo’s hasty attitude plays a huge role in his life, and this shows just before Romeo is about to enter the Capulet uninvited without thinking much about it. At first, Romeo goes to the party to see his thought-to-be love Rosaline, but than quickly changes his love from Rosaline to Juliet at his first sight of the beautiful Capulet. “Is she a Capulet? / O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt” (I, iv, 118- 119). Romeo knowing that Juliet is a Capulet, knowing his life is in the hands of his enemy, decides to put this aside because his love is too strong for her. This is a great example of Romeo’s impulsiveness. If Romeo was not quick to take these actions, Romeo and Juliet would have never met. This would make both of their lives a lot easier. This is not the only time Romeo’s impulsiveness takes a big impact in his life.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet contribute to their death but fate decides the tragedy of events upon ending the life…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” is a popular known love story between two opposites. If you look deeply into the story you will realize that it is not a story of love, but a story about rebellious children. Romeo comes from a poor family with very little, whereas Juliet comes from a rich family with a very popular name. With the two families so very different, the children are told not to have any interaction with the other family. With both Romeo and Juliet being rebellious teens, they have attractions towards each other. They believe it is love, but it is truly just an infatuation for each other.…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Juliet was to marry a man she had no interest in, and Romeo was dealing with heartbreak over Rosaline. They both meet diagnostic criteria to be diagnosed with serious mental disorders, that’s something out of their control. They needed a…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    explanation as to why there is a feud between the Capulets and the Montagues, it is rather…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hopeless. Desperate. Tragic. “Romeo and Juliet”, a story written by William Shakespeare, is about two teenagers, Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, falling in love but ended in one of them dying because they couldn’t have the other. They were influenced by many external forces that caused the tragedy, like accidentally falling in love at a ball, being forced to marry someone they did not want to marry, and because the two families didn’t agree with each other.…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays