Romeo and Juliet Essay
Written on April 9, 2008
Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare, is considered to be one of the most excellent and lamentable tragedies ever written. The Capulets and the Montagues are the two main families in the play. It is due to their feud that at the conclusion of the play the reader is left with a feeling of waste. The conflict between the two families is the cause of the misfortune in this play, and causes Juliet to engage in a deception which ends with her untimely death, and that of her young lover, Romeo.
The Capulets and Montagues have had a long-standing and bitter feud, and there is great rivalry and conflict between the families. An example of conflict between the families arises when Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio encounter Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Tybalt is furious that Romeo attended the Capulet’s feast, and therefore challenges Romeo to a duel. Romeo however does not want to fight Tybalt. But Mercutio is not of the same mind, and decides to fight Tybalt himself. Enraged, Tybalt takes Mercutio’s life by stabbing him. In order to avenge the needless death of Mercutio, Romeo decides to fight Tybalt. As a result, Tybalt ends up dead and Romeo is exiled from Verona and from his new bride, Juliet.
Juliet has fallen in love with Romeo and marries him secretly. The two share one passionate night before Romeo has to flee to Mantua, leaving Juliet alone. Very upset with this, Juliet concocts a plan in order to be with Romeo. The plan consists of Juliet drinking a potion that will make her appear to be dead so that she doesn’t have to marry Paris, and then Romeo and Juliet can reunite in Mantua. So, Friar Lawrence wrote a letter, explaining everything, to Romeo, sent it off in the mail, and then gave Juliet the potion, of which she drank without delay. This leads her family to believe she is dead, and frees Juliet to be with Romeo. However, the letter never reaches Romeo.
Romeo, alone in his exile, hears news of Juliet’s death but cannot believe it without proof. To prepare himself for the worst, he purchases a vile of poison and makes his way to Verona hoping that the news he hears is false. When he arrives at Juliet’s tomb, he sees Paris, who is placing flowers around the tomb, and he kills him. He then goes inside the tomb and sees Juliet lying there as cold as death. Grief-stricken, he swallows the poison, for he cannot bear to live without his dear Juliet. A couple of minutes after Romeo has taken the poison, Juliet awakens and discovers that her beloved is dead, there by her side. She doesn’t want to live without him, so she kills herself with Romeo’s dagger.
To conclude, Romeo and Juliet a romantic tragedy in which the lives of many young people are taken away. It’s unfortunate that the conflict between the two families is the cause of all of these deaths. Because of all the misfortune, at the end of the tragedy one experiences a great feeling of waste.
