Abstract
This paper argues that William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a true tragedy according to Aristotle's definition of tragedy. The paper includes textual examples to back up author's opinion. The paper also discusses how the timeless tale is still widely popular and evokes compassion and pity by all who experience the play.

From the Paper
"By the end of the play, Romeo and Juliet are in a highly unfavorable position death. Their families also suffer they have lost their only children. This very complicated sequence of events is complex enough to be interesting, but the emotions behind the situations are extremely real. Anyone watching the play would have had experience with missed chances and the consequences of hurrying things. Therefore, we find that " Romeo and Juliet" is a true tragedy according to Aristotle. It follows the sequence of events that define tragedy and evokes the emotions of pity and fear in an audience that identifies with the main characters."

Tags:aristotle, shakespeare, romeo, juliet, tybalt, love, pity, william, drama, play, tragic

From the Paper
"Romeo and Juliet and Dr. Faustus, both from the height of the English renaissance, rebel against the traditional morality play previously seen on the English stage for centuries and instead have a tragic design driven by a violent passion for human desires. These human needs of love and knowledge connect each member of the audience to the characters in the plays. The audience at once admires and despises the lead characters for their daring transgressions and bold decisions. In response to the birthing of the renaissance, the characters Romeo, Juliet and Faustus challenge the nature of their respective societies to attain the love and knowledge that they would be denied."

Tags:drama, play, plays, william, renaissance

Abstract
An in-depth analysis of four main characters in two of Shakespeare's plays. This essay details Anthony and his inner conflict between his longing to rule the Roman Empire and his strong love for Cleopatra. It also details the very fickle and dramatic character of Cleopatra and the many versatile parts she can play. It includes a brief discussion of the overwhelming love between Romeo and Juliet as well as their families' feud. Finally, it compares the plays and their characters.

From the Paper
"Antony is a man in conflict throughout this play. He struggles between his need to rule the Roman Empire, and his great love for Cleopatra. When he with Cleopatra, she is the only thing that matters. He says in the first act, "Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch / Of the ranged empire fall" (Cohen, Howard, and Greenblatt I.i.35-36). In just a few moments however, he worries that his love will cause him to "lose [him]self in dotage" (Cohen, Howard, and Greenblatt I.ii.106) and then he is afraid that his wife had died because of him, and that this is just one ill befalling because of his "idleness." He has a hard time deciding whether to follow his passion, and stay with Cleopatra, or follow his duty, and return to Rome."

Tags:Roman, Empire, love, play

Abstract
This paper analyzes William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet" and Prokofiev's ballet version and shows how, because Prokofiev's ballet is quite lengthy and leaves out few elements of Shakespeare's version, the two works provide an unusual opportunity to compare verbal and non-verbal approaches to telling the same story. It examines how Shakespeare's language requires actors to render some very beautiful, intensely lyrical passages in a manner that approximates, without really becoming, natural speech. In comparison, it looks at how in the ballet the heightened emotions between the two protagonists can only be expressed in the music and the movements of their bodies. It shows how they must, in essence, communicate non-verbally what Shakespeare conveyed in some of the most famous speeches he ever wrote.

From the Paper
"One of the best scenes for comparison is the most famous in the play, the balcony scene in Act II, scene 2. Here the lovers speak almost freely for the first time. They declare their love and commitment and are reluctant to part even though they must. This is one scene where Prokofiev's score had to accommodate the differences between a ballet and a play -- the challenges of presenting a story non-verbally. In Shakespeare's play Romeo returns to the Capulet house after the party and sees Juliet as she comes out to stand on her balcony. The conversation between the lovers is dangerous and fraught with suspense and it is frustrating, as they express their intense longing to be together and wonder whether they will ever find a way to accomplish this."

Tags:verbal, nonverbal, communication, language, emotion

Abstract
This paper analyzes Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet" and examines its central themes. The author looks at the themes of love and death with reference to determination, passion, madness and uncertainty that the characters experience.

From the Paper
"Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's most well know plays. The infamous love story between the two main characters is what draws most people to the play. Yet from such a brilliant author, one must look deeper to find greater issues hidden in the lines of this play. Although Shakespeare never specifically states his thoughts, one can find conclusive evidence to support the idea that love is equated with death in this play. Death is defined as destruction; lacking warmth, interest, or brightness; without feeling, motion, or power. On the other hand, love is defined as a strong affection or liking for someone; passionate affection. With such different definitions, it takes the genius of Shakespeare to draw these two phenomena's together."

Tags:juliet, romeo, shakespeare, love, passion, death, uncertainty, madness

Abstract
This paper details the background of Elizabethan England in Shakespeare's time, in which there were many rigid standards for social customs and marital traditions, but the Reformation was encouraging women to be more independent and to control their own lives, resulting in the emergence of a new "Renaissance woman." It is this conflict of ideas that is played out in "The Taming of the Shrew" and an understanding of the times as put forth in this paper, along with parallel examples from the text, adds to a richer understanding of the play.

From the Paper
"Contrary to young Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, the average age for brides of the time was twenty-four, and for grooms it was twenty-seven, but the legal age of consent for girls was twelve, for boys fourteen (Mack 54). Although Kate's age is never mentioned in the The Taming of the Shrew, one can assume that she is probably close to this age, if not a bit older. It is frustrating for her to be single, when Bianca has so many suitors, and her anger at Baptista for helping Bianca to obtain a husband is understandable. When she accuses him of favoritism, and declares that, because of him, she will have to "lead apes into hell," she actually is citing a common conception of the period. When a younger sister married before an older one, it was customary for the elder sister to dance barefoot at the wedding to avoid becoming a spinster. It also was believed that the eternal fate of an "old maid" was leading apes into hell (Charlton 87)."

Tags:Renaissance, Reformation, play, woman

Abstract
This paper analyzes the various factors pertinent to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, with an emphasis on Friar Lawrence's role in their deaths. The writer concludes that the responsibility for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet lies not only with the Friar but also with nearly every main character in the play.

From the Paper
"Although it often appears that the Friar is responsible for events leading to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, in reality it is usually other influences that are accountable. For instance, the Friar's plan (giving Juliet the sleeping potion to evade the wedding to Paris, then spiriting her to Mantua until Romeo could return to Verona) was not flawed in itself. Unfortunately however, Balthazar, seeing Juliet's funeral, hastened to tell Romeo that he "saw her laid low in her kindred's vault," (5, 1, 20). It was this information that made him, and later Juliet, commit suicide. Again, while marrying Romeo and Juliet may seem like an irresponsible action, it did not contribute to the lovers' deaths. Their first meeting, based on chance, and their separation, as a result of Romeo's banishment, played a far greater role in the tragedy."

Tags:friar, lawrence, paris, balthazar, capulet

Abstract
Discusses the concept of blame for the death of the main characters. It claims that the blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet ultimately rests with Friar Lawrence. It discusses to what extent this interpretation effects the plays tragic ending.

From the Paper
"Friar Lawrence did indeed play a part in the tragic demise of Romeo and Juliet. There are many things the Friar did throughout the play that could be linked directly to their death. The first of these things is actually agreeing to marry Romeo and Juliet in the first place. (Act two, Scene 4). Although he did this with good intentions (he thought it might help the feuding families settle their differences "for this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households rancor to pure love") who is to say that if the were not married there love would dim? He then proceeds to give Juliet the vial of sleeping drought, "take thou this vial" (Act 4, Scene 1) without which she would never have been discovered "dead", Romeo would not have killed himself etc. Then he entrusts a note which is a matter of life and death to a novice, "I'll send a friar" (Act 4, Scene 1) instead of taking the care to see it was given to Romeo personally. The last thing he does is he leaves Juliet alone in the vault, weeping over Romeo's body to kill herself, "I dare no longer stay" (Act 5, Scene 3) all these events played some part in Romeo and Juliet's deaths. Therefore, in part, the Friar is to blame."

Tags:blame, friar, lawrence

Abstract
This paper compares the "Romeo and Juliet" film from 1968 and the "Romeo and Juliet" film of 1996. It shows the similarities and differences between the actors and the plot. The author argues that the modern version is in many ways inaccurate and discusses the differences between the effectiveness of the two movies.

From the Paper
"Romeo and Juliet is an incredible love story between two people who fall in love and discover that each is from a family that is forbidden. Their love grows and they realize that love is more important than what their family thinks, and after fighting and fighting with their families, they get married, only for Romeo to get banished from the town, and Juliet betrothed by her father to marry a man she didn't even know. She takes a solution to make herself appear dead, and Romeo doesn't get the news that she is only under a chemical, and thinks that she is actually dead, and winds up killing himself at her "Deathbed" Juliet wakes up to a dead Romeo, and kills herself, for she knows she can't go on without him."

Tags:actor, love, sin

Abstract
This essay explores the prodominant themes in "Romeo and Juliet" based on the statement by Prince Escalus, 'For never was there a story of more woe, Than this of Juliet and her Romeo'. Keeping that quote in mind, the essay questions whether love can be counted as the only theme in Romeo and Juliet. The essay discusses in detail three major themes of hate, fate and time, using three scenes in detail, using quotes to support the argument.

From the Paper
"In the tragedy of "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, the main theme of the play is love but it is not the only one. The play explores other themes that revolve around love such as the fate of the two lovers, the speed and time of their love and the hatred between their families. When Prince Escalus stated " for never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo" (Act V, Scene III, line 308-309), the purpose of his statement was to illustrate the presence of a wide variety of themes which all contributed to the tragic story of Juliet and her Romeo."

Tags:fate, hate, quote, scenes, time