Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as a Tragedy

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as a Tragedy

"Romeo and Juliet" is the most famous love story in the English

literary tradition. The play focuses on romantic love, specifically

the intense passion that arises at first sight between Romeo and

Juliet. The play covers a very short time span of three days, in which

Romeo and Juliet meet, fall in love, marry and die. The "story of…woe"

is inevitable from the moment the Prologue addresses the audience from

the stage.

At the beginning of Act Two Scene Two Romeo, having met Juliet at the

ball, finds himself in Capulet's orchard and sees Juliet at her

window. He compares her to the sun "Arise, fair sun, and kill the

envious moon." She speaks, not knowing he is there, and expresses her

love for him, "be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

In the course of the play, the young lovers are driven to defy their

entire social world. An example of this appears in this scene with the

defiance of their families,

"Deny thy father and refuse thy name," Juliet proclaims, "Or if thou

wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a

Capulet."Another example of this is when Romeo abandons Mercutio and

Benvolio at the end of the previous scene in order to go to the

Capulet's orchard. Romeo also defies his ruler when he returns to

Veronafor Juliet's sake after being exiled by the Prince on pain of

death in Act Three Scene One.

After hearing Juliet's declaration Romeo steps from the shadows and

declares his love for her. He will do anything for her love. Juliet

fears that her family will discover and bring harm upon him. She asks

that he pledge his love to her again. Sh...

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...would have allowed their love to live. That irony does

exist, and it is tragic. But because of the power and beauty of their

love, it is hard to see Romeo and Juliet's death as a simple tragedy.

Romeo and Juliet's deaths are tragic, but this tragedy was fated: by

the stars, by the violent world in which they live, by the play, and

by their very natures. We, as an audience, want this death, this

tragedy. At the play's end, we do not feel sad for the loss of life as

much as we feel wrenched by the incredible act of love that Romeo and

Juliet have committed as monuments to each other and their love. Romeo

and Juliet have been immortalised as the epitome of true love not

because their tragic deaths bury their parents' strife, but rather

because they are willing to sacrifice everything, including

themselves, for their love.