Romeo and Juliet matches multiple criteria for a tragic plot set by the philosophers Bradley and Aristotle. The first criterion is met since the plot is a result of the main character's actions. The main character in this play, Romeo, causes many of the events that affect the plot's unfolding in the way that it does. In the beginning acts, Romeo's sorrow over Rosoline gives Benvolio reason to take him to the party where he falls aimlessly in love with Juliet. This love sets the basis for the entire story to come. Also, Romeo killing Tybalt has a major affect on the remainder of the play. Tybalt's death starts an inauspicious chain of events that leads to the eventual death of the two young lovers. The second criterion for a tragic plot is that the hero dies at the end of the play. This is clearly seen in Romeo and Juliet as both Romeo and Juliet, the heroin, tragically lose their lives at the conclusion of the play because Romeo is given false information. He believes that Juliet is dead when she is simply in a deep sleep. Romeo hastily seeks a poison and commits suicide in the Capulet's Tomb. When Juliet awakens, she too kills herself in a fit of grief.
Lastly, the protagonist of Romeo and Juliet undoubtedly matches the criteria for a tragic hero as Romeo has both a tragic flaw, and he causes his own happiness or misery. His tragic flaw is one of his chief problems, and it is what causes other troubles in the story to build. His flaw is that he feels an extreme amount of Eros, or love from beauty. This becomes evident when Romeo immediately changes his feelings between Rosaline and Juliet. Romeo is perilously in love with Rosaline before Capulet's party. Once at the party, and at the first site of Juliet, he spontaneously falls in love with Juliet. This love is triggered entirely by her beauty, as they had never spoken before. This type of love from sight alone is Eros. Secondly, Romeo seems to cause his own happiness or misery many times throughout the play. This is seen in his lack of careful decision making in certain situations. After Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel, he makes the right decision by turning him down. This plan, if carried out, would have let Romeo live the remainder of his life in happiness with Juliet. Romeo, however, chooses to seek revenge after Tybalt's Slaying of Mercutio and is therefore banished for Tybalt's murder. This unmistakably causes Romeo misery in his exile from the community and more importantly his wife.
Rome and Juliet has multiple matches from the lists set by Aristotle and Bradley though there is no standard set of criteria for a tragedy. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, not because it has a sad ending or a single tragic criterion match, but because it has multiple matches for each major story element. Romeo and Juliet can clearly be classified as a tragic play because of these matched criteria.