Thursday, October 22, 2015

What effect do the multiple deaths in act five have on you?Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

A Shakepearean tragedy conveys the sense that human beings
are doomed by their own errors or natures, or even an ironic twist of their virtues, or
through the nature of fate or the human condition to  suffer, fail, and die.  In
Shakespearean tragedy, the hero usually dies as a result of his tragic flaw, moral
weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable
circumstances.


One common weakness that many characters
share in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is impetuousness.  And, as
a result of their impulsive personalities, accompanied by the unfortunate circumstances
of fate, Mercutio, Romeo, and Juliet all die. 


For these
tragic deaths in Romeo and Juliet the reader is well prepared. 
First of all, the Prologue to Act One mentions that fate has a hand in the tragedy--"the
star-crossed lovers"--and the enmity between the Capulets and Montagues breaks "to new
mutiny."  The first scene opens with strife and renewed hatred.  When Romeo falls in
love with the child of his family's mortal enemy, there is certain foreboding of a
tragic end for the lovers.  Certain speeches foreshadow the tragic ending as well.  For
instance, when Friar Laurence cautions Romeo, saying,"These violent delights have
violent ends"(II,vi,10), and Juliet declares, "My only love sprung from my only hate"
(I,v,133), there is foreshadowing of Romeo and Juliet's doom since they are too quick in
their love  too swift in their actions, and circumstances work against their
marriage.


Then, when Friar Laurence and Juliet plan her
feigned death so the parents will be so relieved to have her alive that they will not be
too upset with Romeo, whom she has already married, and the message that Juliet
lives does not reach Romeo in time, fate's hand enters the play.  The tragic delay to
Romeo's knowing Juliet is really alive, coupled with his cries of "O, I am fortune's
fool!"  prepares the reader for the unfortunate results, results that still bring a
poignancy to the audience.  For, the beauty of such young, romantic lovers is what
dreams are made of, not tragedies.

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