Romeo and Juliet

Tragedy and The Tragic Flaw

Tragedy

Tragedy is kind of drama that presents a serious subject matter about human suffering and corresponding terrible events in a dignified manner.

AristotleDefines Tragedy in his famous work “Poetics” as:

• “Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is admirable, complete (composed of an introduction, a middle part and an ending), and possesses magnitude; in language made pleasurable, each of its species separated in different parts; performed by actors, not through narration; effecting through pity and fear the purification of such emotions.”

From the above definition, we can understand the objective of the Greek tragedies i.e. “…purification of such emotions” also called “catharsis”.

Catharsis is a release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit.

This means: someone who is of high class or esteem (someone who is looked up to) falls from that high place. We watch this happen as an audience.

Tragic Hero and FateA tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities.

This person is fated by the Gods or by some supernatural force to doom and destruction or at least to great suffering.

But the hero struggles mightily against this fate and this cosmic conflict wins our admiration.

Fate: Fate is the idea that something is pre-destined to happen and that there is nothing you can do to stop it. In the play Romeo and Juliet realize their own fates and know there is nothing that they can do to stop what is going to happen to them. The play opens with them described as “star crossed” which means their fate has already been decided by the ‘stars’ or god.

Examples of Fate in The Play

1. Romeo goes to the party to meet Juliet2. The horrible series of accidents that ruin Friar Lawrence’s seemingly well-intentioned plans at the end of the play (letter not arriving, Romeo meeting Paris at Juliet’s Tomb, Romeo not waiting longer to commit suicide so that the Friar would have returned.)3. The tragic timing of Romeo’s suicide and Juliet’s awakening:When Romeo believes that Juliet is dead, he cries out, “Then I defy you, stars,” completing the idea that the love between Romeo and Juliet is in opposition to the ideas of destiny (A5.S1.L24).

Tragic Flaw

• Because the tragic hero simply cannot accept a diminished view of the self and because of some personality flaw, the hero fails in this epic struggle against fate.

• A Tragic flaw is a literary device that can be defined as a trait in a character leading to his downfall and the character is often the hero of the literary piece.

Romeo’s Tragic FlawLack of ‘Moderation’

• Examples in the Play:1. Romeo is always extreme. He gets very deeply depressed and extremely happy.2. He is quick to fight Tybalt and Paris3. He is quick to commit suicide4. He is quick to marry Juliet even after the Friar says he loved Rosaline quickly, fell out of love with her quickly, cried over her, then fell in love with Juliet at mere sight and a kiss.

All this leads to his downfall. Romeo cannot escape this personality flaw that leads to his downfall and to both his and Juliet’s deaths.