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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH
LITERATURE (I.E.L)
TOPIC:
(NOTE)
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INTRODUCTION
Written by William Shakespeare, the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, published in 1597,
used to be one of the famous plays of the Elizabethan era in English literature during the
sixteenth century.
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare introduces to the audience two families, the
Montagues and the Capulets, involved in a feud that goes back many years before the story of
Romeo and Juliet takes place and which has a great influence on the tragic destiny of the play.
Based on precise examples from the play, this work shall study the importance of this
strife in this tragedy.
A tragedy is a story in which the hero or heroine suffers and is destroyed because of
personal weakness and which paradoxically might offer pleasure or sadness to the audience.
Romeo and Juliet of William Shakespeare is a tragedy because it relates the story of two
main characters that have a deadly ending.
In this story of the “star-crossed lovers”, the two main characters Romeo and Juliet are
the children of the feuding fathers. They both confess that the fact they are from these
families precisely is a barrier. In the Scene II of the Act II, Juliet says: “... Tis but thy name is
my enemy”
And Romeo to reply: “... Because it is an enemy to thee
Had I it written, I would tear the word.”[Act II, Scene II]
Knowing that their parents will not agree to let them love each other because of their
rancour, Romeo and Juliet married in secret. Friar Lawrence who agrees to marry the young
lovers because he was hoping that by this union the historical strife will end for the sake of
everyone.
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CONCLUSION
The feud between Montague and Capulet caused pain, sorrow and sadness. It is
responsible for the death many characters, not only from the family involved, but others like
the Prince Escalus’ relatives, Mercutio and Paris. The Prince confesses that this feud
provoked an unforgettable tragic story, the one of Romeo and Juliet:
“… For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” [Act V, Scene III]