Banishment In Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare tells the tragic tale of of two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, who fall in love despite their feuding families. At the end of the play, the star-crossed lovers take their lives, but that is not the only event that makes this play a tragedy. Along with the tragic ending, the banishment of Romeo, the forbidden love, and the deaths of several other beloved characters makes Romeo and Juliet a tragedy. One tragic event that occurs in Romeo and Juliet is when Romeo is exiled (Act III Scene II). At the beginning of the story, the Prince declares that the next time he catches a Montague fighting with a Capulet, they will be given the death penalty. Not knowing that Romeo is his cousin by marriage, Tybalt

The first person to die is Mercutio, who is killed in a fight with Tybalt (Act III Scene I). This is a heartbreaking loss for Romeo, who then proceeds to fight and kill Tybalt as revenge. This leads to the banishment of Romeo, another tragic incident. After Romeo is banished, Juliet and the Friar devise a plan to ensure that Juliet will not be forced to marry Paris (Act IV Scene I), the suitor who Juliet’s parents want her to marry. To take the plan into action, Juliet drinks a potion that makes her appear dead (Act IV Scene III). She is then put in the tomb where Romeo is supposed to rescue her. Unfortunately, news of the plan never reaches Romeo, and he receives word that she is dead (Act V Scene I). Overwhelmed by grief, Romeo buys poison from an apothecary, and then goes to visit Juliet’s tomb where he encounters Paris (Act V Scene III). After killing the suitor, Romeo sees his lover who he believes to be dead, and drinks the poison. Once Juliet wakes up and discovers that her beloved Romeo is dead, she kills herself with his dagger. The deaths of Romeo, Juliet, and several other important characters contributes to the series of events that make Romeo and Juliet a tragic