Romeo and Juliet as a Tragedy

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ROMEO AND JULIET AS A TRAGEDY

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is his eleventh play. It is with no doubt a tragedy.

Shakespeare has included all the necessary elements for a tragedy. The play has a tragic hero

of high standing who dies. The hero opposes some conflicting force. The hero has a tragic

flaw and this flaw will lead to his downfall and the downfall of others. Good is always

wasted driving out evil. Indeed, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy.

In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is the tragic hero. He is the only son of the Montague

family, therefor he is of high standing and very wealthy. He is so well respected that even

Capulet, His family's sworn enemy praises him:

...let him alone,,

He bears him like a portly gentlemen;

And, to say truth, Verona brags of him

To be a virtuous and well-govern'd youth.

I would not for the wealth of all this town

Here in my house do him disparagement...(I.IV.65-70)

This means that among the people of Verona, Romeo is very well respected, and he would

not do any harm to Romeo at that time. Romeo is the hero in this story. Romeo must die

along with Juliet in order to stop the families' feud.

The conflicting force which Romeo opposes is the fact that he is a Montague that is in

love with a Capulet; his family's sworn enemy. The Montagues and the Capulets have been

feuding for many years. Romeo is a Montague and he is born into the feud. He does not like

it and he feels that it is a waste. Romeo has to disobey his family so he can be with Juliet.

In this play, Romeo's tragic flaw is that he is always melancholy, miserable, and

downcast, and Romeo is...