Romeo and Juliet a True Aristotelean Tragedy

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Romeo and Juliet a True Aristotelean Tragedy

Aristotle defines a tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude”. However, it is his claim that a story must contain six parts in order to be a tragedy that causes much controversy. Many critics argue that William Shakespeare does not follow the guidelines for a tragic story in his famous piece Romeo and Juliet. Their main argument is with the way he presents his tragic elements. But as Lois Kerschen says, “Shakespeare may have altered the classic form of the Greek tragedy, but that does not mean he totally ignored the Greek formula”(261). It is his strong emphasis on certain elements that prove his case. Shakespeare’s contribution of harmatia, catharsis, and anagnorisis to Romeo and Juliet prove the story to be a true Aristotelean tragedy.

The final tragic moment in the story serves as an inevitable consequence of character flaws. One of Shakespeare’s most palpable tragic elements in this play is harmatia. Both Romeo and Juliet contain an overriding, single flaw that causes the downfall of the play. The intensity of Juliet’s love for Romeo is the only blemish of the young girl. Nevertheless, a single blemish leads to devastation in a tragedy. This extreme love causes her to go against her family and make decisions that come to harm her: “I’ll to the Friar to know his remedy./ If all else fail, myself have power to die” (III, v, 243-244). Juliet goes against her family solely for one reason; she is averse to marry Paris because of her extreme love and loyalty to Romeo. Her opposition to Paris causes her to make the decision to die which brings about the tragic ending. Furthermore, Romeo also contributes to bringing about the tragic end...

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... play. The story follows all of Aristotle’s guidelines and therefore must be viewed as a true Aristotelean tragedy: “for there never was a story of more woe/ then this of Juliet and her Romeo” (V, iii, 309-310).

Works Cited

Kerschen, Lois. “Criticism on Romeo and Juliet.” Drama for Students. Vol. 21. Ed. Anne Marie

Hacht. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 258-261.

McManus, Barbara. “Outline of Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy.” CLS267: Greek Tragedy. 2

April 2008. College of New Rochelle. 19 May 2010.
/bmcmanus/poetics.html>.

Moulton, Richard G. “Innocence and Pathos: The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.” Drama for

Students.Vol. 21. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 271-273.

Waters, Douglas D. “Catharsis in Romeo and Juliet.” Bloom's Notes: William

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Harold Bloom. Broomall: Chelsea House, 1996.

69-70.

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