ENG 3U1
INTRODUCTION TO ROMEO AND JULIET
I. Examining the play as a tragedy:
In our contemporary world, we tend to use the term “tragedy” very loosely to
describe events that are calamitous, lamentable, or very sad.
In the dramatic sense, a tragedy involves a character or characters who, despite
their goodness or even greatness, contribute to their own downfall due to a tragic
flaw in their character.
(e.g. Macbeth was rewarded by King Duncan for his greatness as a soldier;
however, his ambition led him to kill the King and ultimately led to his downfall
and death)
When examining Romeo and Juliet, we will be looking at the ways in which
several characters contribute to their own deaths as a result of their flaws. (We all
have flaws, of course, but in a tragedy, the characters are in more extreme
situations where their flaws have greater consequences.)
II. Other Aspects of the Play to Consider:
a) The role that the family feud plays in the tragedy (in other words, circumstances
that are beyond the characters’ control) and how the feud affects the entire city of
Verona
b) The struggle that Juliet faces in trying to assert herself against an overbearing
father
c) The idea of love at first sight–is such really possible?
d) The role that minor characters play and how they contribute to the outcome of
the play
e) The importance of the language in the play; how it contributes to the romantic
elements of the play
f) What the play says about the price of impulsiveness, of love, of conflict