Romeo And Juliet Diction

A tragedy by Aristotle’s definition must have six parts as well as have the proper mood and atmosphere to it. The tragedy must have plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle, and melody. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is a timeless play that is an example of a tragedy. Romeo and Juliet has a plot with sadness, death, and compassion, characters that are tragic heroes, diction filled with poetry, thoughts that show the characters emotions and feelings, grand spectacles of love, and a melody that flows through out the play. Romeo and Juliet is an example of an Aristotle tragedy simply by its nature and its death and passion.

Romeo and Juliet has a fantastic plot. The play starts with death and ends with death. Romeo and Juliet must fight

to be together and in the end, they do. The plot is a chain of causes and effects such as how Romeo and Juliet die since Tybalt killed Mercutio causing Romeo to kill Tybalt which then lead to his banishment and forced Juliet to come up with a plan to fake her death. The play also follows a plot line with a beginning middle and end including a climax and resolution. Romeo and Juliet is a play ruled by fate. Fate controls the plot and the characters have very little control over it. Romeo and Juliet were fated from the beginning to by together and to die together. The plot shows that Romeo and Juliet is an Aristotle tragedy by having a complete plot, a plot controlled by fate or an outside force, a chain of events that tie together, and by the complexity and magnitude of the play.
Romeo and Juliet has very complex characters. They support the plot but have personal agendas as well as learn from their mistakes. Romeo starts out as a young boy in love with love and not caring about his family or the person he loves. As Romeo falls in love with Juliet, he learns to love the person and not the idea of being in love as well as learning the importance of family. Romeo did not want to start a brawl with Tybalt since he was now related to him.
“I do protest I never injured thee, But love thee better than thou canst devise,
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love. And so, good Capulet—which name I tender
As dearly as my own—be satisfied.”
There are also characters in which show what it means to be man. The prince is a very necessary role to the play because he is an example to Romeo and all the other men in the story what it means to be a great man and leader. The characters in this play show that it is an Aristotle tragedy by knowing their importance and mission, learning from their mistakes, identify what it means to be a man, and add depth and life to the play.
Romeo and Juliet has very detailed diction.

Shakespeare made the characters easily knowable by their diction. The poor and lower class characters talk in poor English and use slang and the wealthy, upper class uses correct grammar and speak in sonnets or have soliloquies.

“Ay, while you live, draw your neck out of collar.”

The diction used in the play show it is an Aristotle tragedy by helping identifying the characters, having very diverse uses, and by are appropriate and proper to the time and place.

Romeo and Juliet has thought and a very strong theme. Shakespeare thought out each character and line to make a theme of the forcefulness of love as well as the theme of death and tragedy. The theme shows that both love and tragedy go hand in hand. Shakespeare shows this by contrasting every love scene with a death scene. The thought and theme of the play shows that it is an Aristotle tragedy by having a theme of love and hate and having well thought out characters and

plot.
Romeo and Juliet has spectacle in every turn.

From the ball at the beginning of the story to the poetic love between Romeo and Juliet, the play shows that spectacle plays a role in the story but it is not the main cause of emotion in the play. By Aristotle’s definition, spectacle should not be the main structure of emotion and that poems and language should be the main base for the cause of emotion. Romeo and Juliet shows this by having poetic devices such as Friar Lawrence’s speech and the Juliet’s soliloquies as well as other important events that are structure in poetry. The correct use of spectacle and poetry in the play shows that the play is an Aristotle tragedy.

Romeo and Juliet has a melody aspect to it. The play starts with the chorus, which is used as an introduction and summary of the play for the audience. There is melody in the ball and Romeo meets Juliet while surrounded by music. The melody adds another layer to the play adding a unity of the plot in the play. The melody used throughout the play shows that it is an Aristotle tragedy by completing the plot and adding music to draw in the

audience.
Romeo and Juliet has every element of an Aristotle tragedy including the correct ending. In an Aristotle tragedy, every story ends with a katharsis or a cleansing of the sad emotions such as fear and hate. Romeo and Juliet shows this ending by having the feud between the families end and the hate between the families starts to end. Although it is not fully abolished, there is a start of a fresh start for the families in which new emotions will start to come through. Through the love between Romeo and Juliet, the families finally have a chance for a katharsis and a chance to have new emotions. The play therefore is an Aristotle tragedy by its use of the six elements of a tragedy and by the plays ending.