Tragedy In Romeo And Juliet Essay

Kassie Costello
Ms. McIntyre
English 112
28 May 2014
Tragedy in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: English 112 Essay William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a play that portrays the long-lasting feud between two distinguished families of Verona, Italy. The Montagues and Capulets are sworn enemies, making the love shared between Romeo (a Montague) and Juliet (a Capulet) dreadfully difficult to act upon. The star-crossed lovers must remain a secret to all but few, and fate brings them both to an untimely death. Love and death are both prominent themes in this drama, leading it to be one of Shakespeare’s most renowned romantic tragedies. According to Dictionary.com, a tragedy is given the definition as follows: “(esp. in classical
and Renaissance drama) a play in which the protagonist, usually a man of importance and outstanding personal qualities, falls to disaster through the combination of a personal failing and circumstances with which he cannot deal”. This is directly proportional to Romeo and Juliet due to the fact that both of the major characters commit suicide in the end in order to finally be together. A tragic hero is “a literary character who makes an error of judgement or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy”. This definition explains the characters Romeo and Juliet, and how they fall so deeply in love so quickly that it turns fatal. “A failing of a character in the hero of a tragedy that brings about his downfall” describes a tragic flaw. Tragic flaws are very apparent throughout this dramatic piece due to the fact that there are countless occurrences in which characters experience downfalls. Romeo and Juliet is an unmistakable example of tragedy, tragic heroism, and tragic flaws, all of which are about to be explored. Because it matches the definition previously given, Romeo and Juliet qualifies as a tragedy. The protagonists, both Romeo and Juliet, fall to their death upon believing that they were destined never to be together on Earth. For example: Romeo, upon hearing of Juliet’s death, goes directly to the Apothecary in Mantua to purchase a vial of poison to kill himself. Because Friar Laurence’s message was not properly delivered, he is unaware that Juliet is still alive and kills himself beside her sleeping body. When Juliet awakes, she finds Romeo dead by her side. Devastated, she uses his dagger and takes her own life to be with him eternally. The final lines of the play are those of Prince Escalus: “For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo” (Shakespeare 5/3/309-310), stating that the story told has been one of despair and sadness. There are also many other deaths of characters in this play caused by loyalty to the families, impulsive actions and passionate disagreements. Mercutio died due to the unsettled argument between Romeo and Tybalt from the masquerade, Tybalt was killed by Romeo for murdering Mercutio and Lady Montague dies of grief and upset over the exile of Romeo. Though these characters may only be supporting roles, their deaths still mark a mood of sorrow and grief and leave the reader mourning as well. These examples can lead the reader to believe that this story is in fact, a tragedy. The characters of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet could be considered tragic heroes due to the fact that both of them make a major error of judgement. Juliet was prepared to kill herself in order to finally be with Romeo. Her downfall in the story was caused by her love, what some may consider an infatuation, with him. Because she was young and immature, she was able to love so deeply and so quickly that it may not have been love at all, but simply lust. Romeo was a tragic hero in the play due to the fact that he falls in love just as quickly as Juliet, and that he believes in destiny and fatality. Ultimately, the greatest factor in his downfall is that he killed himself for no real reason: although he thought Juliet was dead, she was simply sleeping under the effects of a potion. In the short period of this play, Romeo not only kills himself, but in actuality was either directly or indirectly responsible for every death; Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Lady Montague and Juliet all could have held him accountable. Both Romeo and Juliet have several tragic flaws throughout the play.
The couple share certain tragic flaws and differ in others, all leading to their downfall. Romeo was stubborn and believed too much in fate and destiny. Though fate was something that was believed in by mostly everyone including Juliet and other important characters, it unmistakeably affected Romeo the most. Before entering the Capulet mask, he fears the stars are telling him that something is destined to happen, and ends up falling in love with Juliet. He also says “O, I am fortune’s fool” (Shakespeare 3/1/11) after killing Tybalt, blaming fate for the murder rather than taking responsibility for his actions. Also, in Act Five, Romeo cries to the stars upon hearing of the (fake) death of Juliet as if they had made this happen. This may seem childish at first, but it also shows how seriously he believed in a higher power that had predetermined this series of events. Juliet’s downfall was also due to the belief of chance and providence. She cries to Fortune calling him “fickle”, meaning unpredictable and unreliable after spending her last night with Romeo before his banishment, which was also their wedding night. She asks Fortune to be kind to Romeo and to bring him back to her, believing it has the power to do so. Another one of Juliet’s tragic flaws include her capacity to fall in love very quickly. While talking to herself upon her balcony, she is unaware that Romeo is in earshot and proclaims her love for him after meeting him for only a matter of minutes. This proves that her love is possibly less deep than she thinks and rather quite surfaced, mistaking her lust for
love. Other characters with tragic flaws that may not be considered tragic heroes include Mercutio, Tybalt, and both of the feuding families. Mercutio’s downfall was due to his stubbornness and willingness to fight for worthless reasons. His loyalty to the Montagues, especially to his friend Romeo, leads to his death in a war between two families who he is not even tied to by blood. Tybalt’s death was caused by his temper and his conceited qualities. The Montagues’ and the Capulets’ major flaw is the ongoing battle and continuous fighting that leads to the death of two promising teenagers. In conclusion, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is to be considered a tragic play, due to the death of the two star-crossed lovers. These two main characters are tragic heroes, as they both made errors in judgement; and alongside fate, these errors were essentially their cause of death. Romeo and Juliet, in addition to many other characters were plagued with faults that led to their demise. This play was a masterful piece highlighting tragedy throughout. The theme of love is indisputably apparent but it is the theme of death that overshadows the bond that is shared between lover, Romeo and Juliet.

Bibliography
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com LLC. Web. 15 May 2014.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Toronto: Harcourt Shakespeare, 1999. Print.