The Elements That Establish Romeo And Juliet As A Tragedy
Shakespeare is a well known author who wrote in the 1500's. Many of his plays are classified as tragedies. According to the Oxford dictionary of current English, a tragedy is described as a serious disaster or a sad event. In Shakespeare plays, tragedy is identified as a story that ends unhappily due to the fall of the protagonist, which is the tragic hero. For a play to be a tragedy, there must be a tragic hero. In the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is the tragic hero. The theme of tragedy plays a great role in the play Romeo and Juliet. By analyzing Romeo's tragic flaw, his noble birth, his series of poor decisions, the suffering of Romeo that extends beyond himself, it is evident that Romeo and Juliet is classified as a tragedy.
A person must posses certain qualities that classify one as a tragic hero. One of these qualities is the noble birth of a character. In the play Romeo and Juliet Romeo being the tragic hero, possesses that quality. Romeo is a Montague, and in the city of Verona the Montagues are a well known and respected family. It is a known fact that the Montagues are of noble birth when it is said by Benvolio in Act 1, Scene 1, Line 141: "My noble uncle." Benvolio is referring to Lord Montague, who is the father of Romeo. The Montagues are also a rich family, and that is one of the reasons for the respect for Romeo. "Verona brags of him... a bears him like a partly gentleman." This was said by Lord Capulet in Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 65-66. This quote illustrates that even Romeo's enemies know well of him and know that he is respected and talked about by the citizens of Verona. Usually when a character is introduced as being noble, the audience is aware that in the end of the play, the character will have a tragic fall.
Another necessary quality possessed by a tragic hero is the hero's tragic flaw, which in Romeo's case is falling in love too quickly and deeply. " To seek a tragic flaw in either Romeo or Juliet is a foolish and futile." -...
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