In each of the four tragedies mentioned above the same pattern occurs. Although the main characters of these tragedies possess different traits, they all can be described as tragic Shakespearean heroes. In ‘King Lear’ it is the inability to see the truth about their children that leads to death of the main characters, in ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Macbeth’ is it that the main character is too nice and kind which leads to their downfall, and in ‘Othello’, as in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ it is overpowering love for another character that causes the tragic end. They are all basically good and noble men with a high place in society whose tragic flaw leads to their death. Romeo fits into the role of Shakespeare’s traditional tragic hero and his flaw of falling in love too easily leads to his death later on in the play.
A hero in the present day is seen as a person who is idolized and admired by others. The hero does not have to have wealth or certain political beliefs, but instead can be regarded as a hero for his/her behaviour and personality. However, in the plays of Shakespeare, the tragic hero is always a noble man who enjoys some status and affluence in society but possesses some moral weakness or flaw, which leads to his downfall. Circumstances such as fate also play a part in the hero's defeat. Evil agents often act upon the hero and the forces of good, causing the hero to make wrong decisions. Innocent people always feel the fall in tragedies, as well.
Very early on in the play of “Romeo and Juliet” we suspect the play will end in tragedy because we see that Romeo fits into the traditional role of the tragic hero.
“And to say truth, Verona brags of him
To be a virtuous and well-governed young youth.
I would not for the wealth of all this town
Here in my house do him disparagement;
(Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 65 – 69)
The words spoken above by Capulet at the grand party shows that he respects Romeo and trusts him to behave in a responsible way because he is from a high-class family and is admired by the rest of the people in Verona. We know now that Romeo is noble person who is admired in Verona, and that he is from a high-class family This is the first piece of evidence to support Romeo taking the part of the high born tragic hero.
We also know that Romeo is melancholic and depressed. This is shown when we are introduced to him by his father in the first scene.
“Away from the light steals home my heavy son,
And private in his chamber pens himself,
Shuts up the windows, locks fair daylight out.
(Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 127-130)
The lines above tell us of how he locks himself up in his room away from the daylight and everyone around him. He is isolating himself from the outside world, and it could be this depression and despair that leads him to his early death.
“I fear too early, for my mind misgives
Some of consequence yet hanging in the stars
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
With this night’s revels, and expire the term
Of a despised life closed in my breast,
By some vile forfeit of untimely death.”
(Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 106 – 111)
These are the words spoken by Romeo at the closing stages of Act 1 Scene 4. Romeo is saying that he thinks something awful is going to happen at the party. He has a premonition that a fight will take place between the Montaques and the Capulets when they meet at the party. He might believe that a fight will take place because he is aware of the ‘ancient grudge’ between the two families, and he knows that the Capulets will not be happy when he and the other Montagues join the party without an invitation. However a fight doesn’t occur but Romeo has found that he has fallen in love with Juliet, who is one of his family’s hated enemies. This may not appear to be a bad thing at first but it leads to Romeo’s downfall and eventually his death.
This premonition adds to the atmosphere of the story and gives the play suspense, because the audience are aware that he could die but don’t know yet if he will. This is linked to the prologue because it is here in the first couple of lines that we are aware of the ancient grudge “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny”, and that the death of two characters will end the clash between the two families. “Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.”
Later on in Act 1 Scene 5 Juliet says the line, “My grave is like to be my wedding bed.” This is Juliet having a premonition that if she marries Romeo it will be the end of her life. She may have had this intuition because she is a Capulet and Romeo is a Montague, which may make her feel that falling in love with her family enemy is sure to lead to something horrific happening, as she knows that the two families loathe each other and are always looking for a reason to quarrel.
In Act 3 Scene 5 Juliet has another premonition that Romeo and she will both die. She says,
“O God, I have an ill-divinging soul!
Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low,
As one dead in the bottom of the tomb.
(Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 54-56)
This shows that she is again thinking that her love for Romeo will lead her death as well as his. She may feel that an evil encounter or depraved force is going to take place and destroy her and the love between them.
By now the audience has a good idea that the play is going to have a tragic ending. The main character, Romeo has fitted in the traditional role of the tragic hero and they have both had premonitions of death.
The audience are also aware that Romeo and Juliet have been warned by other characters that their love is too great and is sure to end in the death of them both.
“Therefore love moderately, long love doth so;
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.”
(Act 2, Scene 6, Lines 14-15)
The quote above is a warning from Friar Lawrence before he marries them. He warns Romeo that he loves Juliet so much and that it will end in a terrible way. He advises Romeo to love her less or expect fatal consequences.
In Act 2 Scene 2 Romeo says, “My life were better ended by their hate,” This shows that Romeo would rather die than not be able to love Juliet. This may seem to the audience as a clue to what the conclusion of the play maybe as it has revealed how much Romeo has to be with Juliet and how he cannot live without her.
Throughout the play Shakespeare has used many linguistic devices to reinforce Romeo’s tragic flaw. One of the main devices he uses is the oppositions and contrast, which are known as oxymorons. Shakespeare deliberately uses oxymorons to reflect the turmoil in Romeo’s character. He then continues the idea of divisions and conflict between the two lovers throughout the whole play. He used images of light and dark when Romeo says, “More light and light, more dark and dark our woes!” When Romeo states this line he was explaining that the more light there is the unhappier he becomes because he can only visit Juliet in the dark of night so he won’t be seen. This use of divisions and conflict makes the play more interesting for the audience. In Act 1, Scene 1, Shakespeare uses lots of oxymorons to show how Romeo is confused and mixed up by love and how it turns his ordered word into chaos.
“O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still walking sleep, that is not what it is!”
(Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 169-172)
This shows that Romeo is confused and mixed up and reveals his diverse character. Romeo’s language reflects his state of mind, and illustrates how he is love sick and confused. Romeo also talks about love and death in the same sentence when he says, “Then love-devouring Death do what he dare,” This shows that the two go together in this play, which suggest that their love for each other will lead to their death.
Shakespeare also uses metaphors and similes to add suspense and excitement for the audience. Benvolio uses the metaphors, “piercing steel”, “deadly point to point”, “cold death”, and “fatal points”. He also uses the simile, “they go like lightening”. The play is alive with images of light and darkness. The flash and sparkle of eyes, jewels, stars, fire, lightening, torches, exploding gunpowder, the sun and the moon, are set against a darker word of night, clouds, smoke, and the blackness of the tomb. This language and the use of metaphors and similes makes the story more exciting and enhances the atmosphere and tension in the play.
Shakespeare’s playful attitude with words is also emphasised when he uses puns. A pun is a play on words where the same sound has different meanings. Shakespeare was fascinated by puns and used them a great deal in his work, especially in “Romeo and Juliet.” Mercutio revels in puns and even at the point of death he can’t resist punning. “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man”. These puns add humour to the play and make the characters more human.
Repeating words or phrases was a favourite and very effective device of Shakespeare. It might be a single word, such as “civil” in the prologue, or it might be a line that adds depth to both drama and character.
LADY CAPULET The County Paris, at St Peter’s Church
Shall happily make thee there a joyful bride.
JULIET Now by St Peter’s Church and Peter too,
He shall not make me there a joyful bride.
(Act 3, Scene 5, Lines 114-117)
Such repetition as shown above increases the tightening tension of the plot and gives an additional insight into Juliet’s character.
The language of “Romeo and Juliet” shows the strong influence of the Italian poet Petrarch. This shows that Romeo is thinking about love too much, which is behind the flaw that eventually leads to his death. In the play, Romeo’s love for Rosaline echoes the major theme of Petrarch’s poetry: a young man’s unrequited love of an unattainable and disdainful woman. In “Romeo and Juliet”, Romeo was infatuated with Rosaline, but she rejected all of his advances.
However we cannot blame the entire tragedy on one mans tragic flaw, because there are many reasons that add to the fact that Romeo and Juliet must die. The tragedy could have been caused by love itself, because it is their love for each other that makes Romeo and Juliet feel that meeting in death is the only worthwhile ending. “Well Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight” (Act 5, Scene 5, Line 34).
It is inevitable that Romeo and Juliet are going to die due to the theme of fate. At the very opening of the play we hear of fate: “a pair of star-crossed lovers” (Prologue line 6). The belief that fate determines our lives echoes throughout the play. Romeo fears that fate has unhappy things in store for him if he goes to Capulet’s feast: “I fear too early, for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars.” (Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 106-107). Juliet fears what inevitably lies ahead as she parts from Romeo: “Methinks I see now, thou art so low / As one dead in the bottom of a tomb.” Romeo and Juliet struggle to break free of what fate threatens in dreams and premonitions. “Then I defy you, stars!” is Romeo’s defiant challenge when he hears of Juliet’s deaths. All of these lines suggest that their destiny is determined by the stars and powers that are beyond their control.
The Friar could also have played a part in their deaths, because he marries the lovers in secret, then devises dangerous plans that ensure his own part in the affair is concealed.
“These violent delights have violent ends,
And in their triumph die like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume.”
(Act 2, Scene 6, Lines 9 – 15)
The words spoken above by Friar Lawrence at the closing stages of Act 2 Scene 6 are used to warn Romeo that his love for Juliet is too great and that it will lead to tragedy. He advises Romeo to love her less as he thinks moderation in love is better than violent excess. These words hint that a tragic ending may be in store because they show that Romeos love for Juliet is beginning to become dangerous and is on the verge of leading to their death.
The tragic ending could also have been down to the characters youthful hasty temperaments and the way they act without thinking as they are blinded by their love for each other. Another reason for their deaths could have been the recurring hostile theme of violence and feuding between the Montagues and the Capulets. This is seen in Act 1, Scene 1, as the two families struggle for power in Verona, their ‘ancient grudge’ breaks ‘to new mutiny’ which causes Romeo and the other young men to turn to violence due to a stiff-necked code of honour. This presence of violence could have also contributed to the fatal ending of Romeo and Juliet.
Overall I believe that the only possible ending to “Romeo and Juliet” had to be a tragic one as it followed the sequence of all of Shakespeare’s other tragedies and the audience discovered this very early on in the play. Shakespeare was always hinting that a tragic ending was in store by revealing the premonitions of Romeo and Juliet and the advice from the other characters in the play. Throughout the play Shakespeare used many linguistic devices to create atmosphere and hint to the audience that it will end in tragedy. He also gave the audience lots of different reasons for the tragic ending, which implied that it would have a fatal conclusion. It could have been down to fate, adolescent passion, the feud between the two families, love itself, or even just bad luck.
