Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

SAMPSON A dog of that house shall move me to stand. I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague’s.

In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio said, “Alas, that love, so gentle in his view,/ Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!”(1.1.165-166) Benvolio suggests that love seems nice, peaceful, and innocent, but in reality it can be disastrous and even deadly. A world famous author and poet by the name of William Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in 1597. Romeo and Juliet is known as one of the best love stories in history. There are many significant characters in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet: Romeo, Juliet, Benvolio, Tybalt, the Nurse to Juliet, Friar Lawrence, Mercutio, Lord Capulet, and Lady Capulet. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is the heart-wrending love story of two people who want to be together (Romeo and Juliet), but they cannot because their families are rivals. In the end, the two star-crossed lovers do not live happily ever after. Instead, they both perish. Why did their lives end so tragically? Ultimately, the prideful and foolish actions of the Capulets and Montagues, Friar Laurence, Romeo, and Juliet caused their untimely deaths.

Young lovers defy their families’ long-established vendetta and jeopardize all they have to continue their relationship. The violent commotion between the two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, finally bring peace to their feuding families, with their own death. Like with many suicide cases, there are challenges and decisions being made that lead up to this decision. Often times, we question who contributed to the suicide. Regardless, others argue that Romeo and Juliet should be held accountable for their ultimate decision. Then again, there is no definite reason to assign fault to Romeo and Juliet. Not only are their brains not fully developed, but pressures from outside forces caused such stress within the relationship.

Approximately four hundred years ago, in 1597, the famous playwright, English poet and actor, William Shakespeare, wrote the well-known play, Romeo and Juliet. This dramatic, romantic story is set in the town of Verona, and is about ‘a pair of star-crossed lovers,’ who express their undying love for each other. In the end, their undying love for each other ends tragically, but it does have one good outcome – it puts an end to the family’s ancient feud. Furthermore, Romeo and Juliet’s tragic ending is not to be blamed upon completely themselves, as Friar Laurence, Tybalt and Lord Capulet were all somewhat involved in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

Love is like a flame, it provides you with warmth, but too much of it can also burn you. Such is the plot of the play, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It is a tragedy about two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, who unfortunately, belong to families who bear an ancient grudge against each other. In the play, Romeo and Juliet fall in love and quickly decide to marry each other. At the end, Romeo and Juliet’s decisions cause their untimely death, but in reality, there were other people who also contributed to the lover’s death. Friar Laurence, the Nurse and Lord Capulet are responsible for the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

Throughout the existence of humanity, there have been many notable authors whose works are studied and admired. From the works of Aristotle, all the way to Stephen King, many famous and skillful writers have wrote beloved masterpieces that people still love to this day. However, none may be as notable as William Shakespeare is, and The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is perhaps Shakespeare’s most admired, referenced, and beloved work. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a fateful love story between two teens who are repelled away from each other due to a feud between their families, the story takes place in Verona, an Italian city. The story is centered around a feud between two families, the Montagues, Romeo’s family, and Capulets, Juliet’s family.

In William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, there are numerous of dramatic purposes that the characters serve in the building of the story. One major character that stands out is Friar Laurence who is a wise and holy man respected by everyone in Verona. However, you should not let that presentation of him fool you. There are a variety of times Friar Laurence has committed sins of dishonesty and deception. The few but many dramatic purposes Friar Laurence has in Romeo and Juliet include: being a mastermind with medicine, peacemaker, and the main reason for Romeo and Juliet’s death.

Throughout my study of “Othello”, I have learnt of the many aspects of Othello’s character. He is noble and strong, yet he has many insecurities and is recognised for trusting others too easily. This causes him to obtain the famous title of ‘tragic hero’. According to Greek philosopher Aristotle there are certain characteristics of a tragic hero. These include a noble birth, a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall, a reversal of fortune brought about by the hero’s tragic flaw, his actions results in an increase of self-awareness and the audience must feel pity or fear for the character.

Teens in the stage of growing up needs the trust and support from their family and friends to be able to survive in this world. Most teens are like puppets who become the person that their parents want them to be, but as they mature into adults, they have their own desires and ways of thinking, which enable them to break free from the puppet control and become who they really are. In the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, the playwright used the Nurse, Lord Capulet, and Friar Lawrence to show how taming the wills of the teens and forcing their wishes upon them could turn the play Romeo and Juliet into a tragic love story.

In Romeo and Juliet, love is depicted in several ways. Both Luhrman and Shakespeare represent love in different ways in different contexts to both the Elizabethan era and the contemporary audience. Both the original and later manifestations of the text are valued because they both communicate to the audience on the values of love and society by employing a variety of devices.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that involves young lovers, their “untimely death,” and a feud between their two families. The Capulets and the Montagues war against each other. The feud continues to escalate and provides the background for the story of these “two star-crossed lovers.” This literary masterpiece is still relevant today since it involves parental ambition, family fighting, and young love.

I have resided in Verona for the better part of forty years and never have I seen such a mishandled case as this. Firstly, the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is the tragedy of Verona. Their story comes only as a result of a deep seated hatred that in the past you have not condoned. Yet your strict attitude cost a man his life. Now three bodies have been laid to rest as a result of Romeo 's banishment. You should have allowed Romeo to remain in Verona following Mercutio and Tybalt 's deaths. The punishment may fit the crime, but not the circumstances. Romeo 's banishment was unjust.

A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, is a man who is great but also terribly flawed, who experiences misfortunes while still remaining admirable to the audience at the end of the play. One of Aristotle’s favorite works, Oedipus the King, a play by Sophocles, is a play that above all others, defines the meaning of what a true tragic hero really is. In the play, Oedipus the King, the story unfolds after Oedipus unintentionally kills his own father and goes on to marry his mother. The events of the play are tragic, but it is the way that Oedipus handles the tragedies that make him a tragic hero.

Shakespeare lived during the time the violent clashes throughout Europe between Protestant and Catholic leaders and their followers, it was also a time of relative political stability that followed and preceded eras of extensive upheaval. Elizabeth became queen six years before Shakespeare 's birth and London became a cultural and commercial center where learning and literature thrived during her 455-year reign.

In literature tragic heroes can be defined as a character that makes a flawed judgment that inevitably leads to their own demise. William Shakespeare’s Othello the Moore of Venice is a play about a heroic individual that goes through a tragic event based on his decisions throughout the play. Many of the characters that Shakespeare presents in his plays reveal attitudes and value that is reflective of both the Elizabethan society in sixteenth century England and William Shakespeare; these values are evident in the context of the Venetian society that Othello takes place in. Through Othello Shakespeare embodies his belief of a tragic hero exemplifying his own values. Through the representation of Othello Shakespeare is sharing what he believes is a tragic hero as well as how he thinks society viewed a man of a different race during the sixteenth century. Upon being inspired by Aristotle’s concept of the tragic hero and his principles Shakespeare created a tragedy play with a tragic hero. After taking a careful analysis of the play it is evident that Othello is considered as the tragic hero because of his self centered nature and simplicity. Shakespeare was a well-rounded author bearing many interesting ideas based on analyzing the society in which he lived in these ideas were delivered through his plays, through the use of spokesmen that embodied and represented his thoughts such as Othello.