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 …show more content…
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