Romeo and Juliet - the Tragedy of Character - Essay Example

Romeo and Juliet- the Tragedy of Character Abstract Romeo and Juliet is one of the most popular tragic plays the world has ever produced. Based upon an Italian love story, the play throws light upon the tragedy of character that paves the way towards the catastrophic end of the life of two dedicated but innocent lovers. Created by Sir William Shakespeare by 1592, the plot elaborates how the enmity and malice between the two families turns out to be fatal and terminal, by depriving both of them of their beloved children at the prime of their youth. Although there appear to be no hurdle or obstacle on the way to their love, yet they become victim of circumstances for belonging to the rival families. Hence, the play serves as the tragedy of character, where Romeo and Juliet take their lives because of the error of judgment and out of sheer love for each other. The Paper “Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie, And young affection gapes to be his heir; That fair for which love groan'd for and would die…” (Act II, Scene I, Lines 1-3) Romeo and Juliet are two innocent characters of English Literature, who voluntarily embrace death in order to win each other, as they are well-acquainted with the reality that they would not be in a position to lead a peaceful and tranquil life under the serious enmity between their families, as Shakespeare states: “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;” (Act I, lines 5-6) It is the tragedy of character that the families of the protagonists Romeo and Juliet i.e. the Montagues and Capulets had been at daggers drawn for the last several years, and every type of communication and social contacts had been terminated between the families. The intensity of hatred between the families can be witnessed by observing the attitude of their servants even, as the servants are unable to tolerate the glance of each other, as Sampson, Capulets’ servant states: “A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague’s.’(Act I, Lines 24-25) The quarrel between the families has become challenging for the peace of the Verona city, and the Prince has to interfere to resolve the matter. The prince is so fed up with the quarrels that he declares the Montagues and Capulets as threat to peace and harmony. (Act I, Lines 88-95) nevertheless, the families observe peace for the time being only, and are not ready to end the differences. It is actually the tragedy of character that the elders of the protagonists are reluctant to forgive and forget the mistakes of their opponents, and hence are transferring the grudge to their next generation. The Capulets had arranged a masquerade party, in which Romeo Montague participates with a mask on his face, in order to crash the party out of jealousy and malice for the rivals of his family. However, on his encounter with Juliet Capulet, he immediately falls in love with her, and is determined to make her his bride. Somehow, the nurse’s disclosure of Juliet as the daughter of Capulets leads Romeo in utter surprise, as he says: “Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foe's debt.” (Act I, Scene V, Lines 117-118) Juliet also appears to be fascinated by his passion and dedication, and responds to him with great enthusiasm. The sudden and unexpected expression of her love through the balcony is wonderful indeed for Romeo, who welcomes her love and promises to keep to his words. Romeo takes his close friend Mercutio into confidence, while Juliet trusts in her nurse in order to enter into wedlock soon. Since the circumstances are not in their favour, so extreme patience, endurance and vigilance is required to win their love by crossing the bridge of hardships. Romeo invites Juliet and her nurse to Friar Lawrence’s place, where they get married in the presence of few friends only. The protagonists lack courage to reveal their love and passion for each other before their families and the fellow-citizens, as they are apprehensive of the bitter reality that their feelings will not be acknowledged altogether. Consequently, they have to live separate from one another even having the status of husband and wife. They cry to see each other and are anxious to start their new life in a pleasant way, but their cowardice and inability to face the circumstances make the situation adverse for the young couple. Now, he has the responsibility of diminishing the differences between the Montagues and Capulets for the bliss and happiness of his gorgeous and charming bride. He is looking for the apposite time to announce the marriage, but situation takes a drastic turn, which pushes the couple far from each other forever—never to re-unite for long in life. On the one side, Romeo is waiting for the appeasement between the families, and on the other side, Paris, the Prince is seeking Juliet’s hand from her parents. The Capulets give their consent to Paris’s request, but asks him to wait for two years so that Juliet could reach the age of puberty. In such a precarious state of affairs, the days pass in fear, anxiety and uncertainty. Romeo and Juliet, according to Evans, is a well designed tragedy, where the protagonist meet their fateful end because of the irony of fate, egocentrism of the families and prevailing purported prestige and conflict. (2004: 169) Since Juliet’s cousin Tybald is furious on Romeo’s attending the ball, he is determined to teach him a remarkable lesson for crashing the party. Being a rational person, Romeo is comprehended with his responsibilities as a newly wed husband, and thus refuses Tybalt’s challenge of duel with him, as it may augment the burning flames of enmity. “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee Doth much excuse the appertaining rage To such a greeting: villain am I none; Therefore farewell; I see thou know'st me not.” (Act III, Scene I, lines 61-64) Since Mercutio is unaware of the developments of the love affair and marriage of Romeo and Juliet, he censures Romeo for displaying lack of courage towards his rival. It is the tragedy of character that both Romeo and Juliet are unable to announce their love affair and marriage though religion and social norms allow them enter into sacred relationship with their free consent. In the Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the playwright depicts how misfortune opens its awkward jaw to devour the joys and bliss of major characters by depriving them of the joys youth offers to humans. The true lovers could not drink the intoxicating flavour out of the goblet of love and kick the bucket due to the tragedy of character subsequently. (Daiches, 2002: 651) Mercutio is so revengeful on Romeo’s reluctance to fight against Tybalt that he plunges into the duel to defeat the member of the Capulet family. However, instead of beating Tybalt, Mercutio receives injuries and thus turns seriously wounded eventually. Consequently, Romeo cannot resist the duel anymore and kills Tybald during the bout. As a result, the differences aggravated between the families, and Romeo was banished from Verona city. Before Romeo’s departure from the city, the nurse arranged for the nuptial night meeting between the newly wed couple, and in order to avoid any unpleasant state of affairs, he arrives in disguise to see his beloved at her house. Tybalt’s murder at the hands of Romeo and his banishment from the city brought gloom and woe to Juliet. She is not well acquainted with handling such unfavourable circumstances. The feelings of love for her husband make her restless and impatient. Furthermore, her mother’s insistence to marry Paris adds to her problems. It is the tragedy of character that Juliet does not inform her mother regarding the main reason behind her refusal to get married with Paris. Actually she has already been married to Romeo, so there is no further question of her marriage with some other person. She laments: “O God, I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb” (Act III, Scene V, Lines54-56) She seeks the Friar’s help in order to get out of the entire state of dreariness and misery. Eventually, he suggests a light poison that would keep her deadly unconscious for forty two hours. Since the poison makes her motionless and breathless, her parents bury her in a tomb. The reach of Juliet’s burial reaches Romeo’s ears, which makes him utterly disappointed on the sad demise of her death. It is also the tragedy of character that he does not confirms the news of her death; instead, he takes her body out of the grave, mourns at her with sorrowful cries and drinks poison till he gives up his ghost at the side of the tomb. Since Juliet had been unconscious for the time being, she wakes up and finds her beloved husband dead. She takes the remaining poison from his lips and then stabs herself in order to join him in the world Hereinafter. Thus the poor and defenceless lovers become the prey to the circumstances, and lost their lives because of the differences and rivalry between their elders. They intended to win their love in order to live in the arms of each other, but the tragedy of character does not let them do the same. Their elders understand the blessings of friendship and love after the death of their children. Had they stopped themselves from augmenting their enmity, their children could lead a happy and tranquil life in the companionship of each other. References Daiches, David (1970/2002) A Critical History of English Literature Ronald Press Company Evans, Ifor (2004) A Short History of English Literature Penguin London Levenson, J.L. (2000) Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Oxford University Press Read More