Factors Leading To The Tragedy Of Romeo

And Juliet Essay, Research Paper

Factors in the Tragedy of Shakespeare?s Romeo and Juliet

The relationship of Romeo and Juliet was constrained to fail from the beginning. The relationship could not endure with such constant animosity among the families. This is the same in most ?love at first site.? cases. Usually they do not carry through. I believe the three main factors in the tragedy of the young couple were mainly the following: the young lover?s immaturity, the rivalry and hatred between the two families, and the impatience in all the characters in the drama.

Were Romeo and Juliet ever in true love? Or was it just lust? Romeo and Juliet supposedly were in ?love at first site?. Were they really in love or were they just passionate toward each other. I assume this is true in the initiation of the story, but as it goes on they develop more of an authentic love. I don?t imagine such young individuals can achieve true love. Romeo and Juliet?s immaturity and naivete in love, was definitely a main factor in the story.

Why were the two families in a constant feud? Maybe it is an old grudge they both retained from a murder? Or maybe they just dislike each other because they are fighting to be the most dominant family in the city? We will never know. ?That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.?[Juliet, II, ii, 114-16] What Juliet said is a very true statement, but unfortunately no one else agreed. The fighting between the Capulet and Montagues especially occurred with the younger side of both families. Three civil brawls occurred, and this shows great hatred between them. This relationship was destined to decline from the beginning of the story. The families hated each other so profoundly, that it just could not be .

I believe that this is the greatest reason for all the deaths of the characters of the story.

The impatience in all the characters of the story also had a great affect on the outcome. When Romeo and Juliet meet, they are very anxious to see each other again. I think if they both paced themselves, they would have been better off. The sense of urgency also showed when Capulet moved the wedding to a closer date, and then he moved it again. That rushed the story even more. When Juliet takes the Friar?s distilled liqueur to fake her death, the Friar John has to rush to Mantua to deliver the letter to Romeo to let him know. Balthasar rushes to Mantua first, and tells Romeo that she is dead. Romeo is very impatient and goes to the Capulet Tomb when he hears this bad news. When he arrives, he presumes she is truly dead. He drinks poison and he dies. A little while later, Juliet awakens and finds Romeo to be dead. She then stabs herself. If Romeo had not have been so impetuous, he would have received the letter from the friar. This sense of impulsive behavior had an enormous effect on all the events in the story.

The immaturity of Romeo and Juliet, the intense hatred that existed within both families, and the impatience of the characters are definitely the main elements in the tragic drama. It was equally Romeo and Juliet?s fault as well as their families. All had a superior effect in the result of this story.