In this essay I shall be writing about why I agree that with the play, the most excellent and lamentable tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare changes expectations of the tragic genre. In my essay I shall be giving references to language, theme, structure and context. This will all show why I agree with the essay question.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragic play; with the plot concerning two feuding families and two stars crossed lovers. In this play, Shakespeare explores the pitfalls of young love and the consequences they receive from their actions. Romeo is from the Montague family where as his lover is from the Capulet family. Both of these families are each others sworn enemies. The feud between the Capulets and the Montague’s had been passed down through the generations, until the youngest child had been planted with the seeds of hate. They are very bitter towards each other and Shakespeare uses different techniques to show the hatred between the two families. The plot thickens as Shakespeare kills of more characters; the play then concludes with both of the families calling a truce, however only after both of the lovers die. This is why the play is known to be a tragic play as events take place which are out of reach of the characters. It is then these events which decide the lover’s fate.
Before Shakespeare started writing, there was a great playwright called Aristotle, who had his own definition of the tragic genre. He believed tragedy was, “the imitation of an action that is serious… with incidents arousing pity and fear, where with to accomplish…its catharsis of such emotions.” Here Aristotle indicates that tragedy is something which is more seen than heard. He means that tragedy is based on actions that are seen, it is these actions that cause pity and fear. Christopher Marlowe was also a famous playwright at the time of Shakespeare. Marlowe and Shakespeare were born in the same year of 1564. Marlowe also produced great plays; including works such as the famous tragedy of the ‘Rich Jew of Malta’, ‘Edward the Second’, and the well-known ‘Dr. Faustus.’ This is a tragedy of damnation, a scholar who gives his soul to the devil in return for 24 years of knowledge and pleasure. So as Shakespeare started writing tragedies, people were familiar with the tragic genre but not in the way Shakespeare showed tragedy. In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the action develops with explosive speed. Shakespeare is now responsible for a worldwide popular meaning of tragedy. He made his play “Romeo and Juliet” be filled with dramatic tension. Shakespeare had done this by using oppositions. By this I mean that Shakespeare challenged opposites against each other. For example, he challenged ‘love’ with ‘hate’. In the Play the two families are opposites as they hate each other. Though some could say that the two families are not opposites as they both are rich and on the same step on the social ladder. Shakespeare creates tension by challenging these two families with each other. Even though Marlowe wrote tragedies, Shakespeare made sure his work was unique and the difference between his and Marlowe’s work could be seen. Another famous playwright at the time of Shakespeare would be Thomas Kyd, who was born in the year of 1558. This made him 6 years older than Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Thomas Kyd wrote “The Spanish Tragedy”, the most popular play of the 16th century. “The Spanish Tragedy” had a well planned plot which made the play turn out to be very interesting. After 1610, changes started to occur in . There was an increase in technical skill, playwrights handled exposition better, they began to compress action to fewer episodes, and they built startling climaxes to surprise audiences. This all took place because of the impact Shakespeare had on English drama. More plays started arising which were concerned with the tragic genre. With these changes came a new breed of playwrights who created a drama more focused on thrilling and exciting plots.
