A Mini Research Essay On Shakespeare

’s Two Tracegies Essay, Research Paper

Shakespeare’s Tragedies

Shakespeare’s tragedies are what Shakespeare is most noted for. Tragedies are stories with tragic heroes. Tragic heroes have tragic flaw, a flaw that will lead to their own tragic ending, often times it’s death. Shakespeare’s tragedies include: Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Timon of Athens, Titus Andronicus, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and of course Romeo and Juliet. Here are a summary of his two most famous tragedies, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet.

The story of Macbeth is of a young thane. His flaw was that of obsession. Macbeth was obsessed with being king. After Macbeth meets the witches and they tell him his destiny to become king, Macbeth does everything and anything to do it. Although he feels some guilt, which is demonstrated, when he says: “Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand, come let me clutch thee. I have thee not yet I see thee still…”(Shakespeare, 208). He envisions a dagger, which is a metaphor for his guilt. Nevertheless he continues the task of killing the king. He murders many other men in the story for the sole purpose of retaining his lordship. In the end Macbeth’s obsession leads to a revolution against him and his own death.

Romeo and Juliet is a romantic tragedy (if such a thing can exist). It is a romance story all the way until its tragic ending. The story is of young Romeo and when he meets Juliet. They eventually fall in love. The plot revolves around the fact that Romeo and Juliet come from opposing rival families that hate each other. This love is hidden from the family as much as possible, but when their love is revealed this sparks a tremendous anger between the families. Romeo and Juliet devise a plan to have them freed for their families bond, but when that goes wrong they both pay the ultimate price with their lives. Their tragic flaw could very well be their love for each other. Their love led to their death.

Those are two famous Shakespearean Tragedies that relates the character’s flaw directly with his/her death. Thus making it a tragic story, the Hero/Heroin dies in the end. Macbeth’s obsession led to his death, and Romeo and Juliet’s love led to their death as well.