Romeo And Juliet Tragedy Analysis

Tragedy or romance? Love or infatuation? The tale of Romeo and Juliet, written by Shakespeare, is about two star crossed lovers who have to secretly hide their love from their families because they are in conflict with each other (Shakespeare 2016). The two are met with multiple obstacles that are overcome by their deep affection for one another. The element of tragedy drives the plot in the story which deems the story to be a tragedy rather than romance. The story, Romeo and Juliet, is a tragedy because there is conflict between the Montagues and Capulets (1), there is violence (2) and there are multiple deaths (3). The theme of the story, tragedy, is mainly driven by the conflict between the two families, Montagues and Capulet, because

Firstly at the beginning of the play the servants from the two families engage in a fight (1.1.64). It shows that their hatred for each other is so great that they will turn to violence when confronting each other. Secondly, Tybalt tries to kill Romeo on multiple accounts. For example, Tybalt says “Fetch me my rapier, boy” after seeing Romeo at the party (1.5.62). This demonstrates his tenacity and determination to kill Romeo. Finally, Romeo and Paris fight each other at the end of the play which results in death (5.3.73). A love triangle between Romeo, Paris and Juliet that results in death greatly portrays the tragedy element of the play. To summarize, the play contains an immense amount of violence throughout each and every act of the

Although some may argue that the love between Romeo and Juliet makes the play a romance, the factors of tragedy, as mentioned above, can not be overlooked. Although throughout the play Juliet and Romeo have their romantic moments, their love has resulted in more consequences and tragedies. Conflict, abuse and death were the result of their love and it greatly overwhelms the play into a tragedy rather than a romantic love story. As such although there are romantic elements in the play, it is factor that contributes to the bigger picture as a tragedy. As David Cronenberg said, “All romances end in tragedy. One of the key people in a romance becomes a monster sooner or later” (Cronenberg