The Tragic Tragedy Of William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet

A â€Å"tragedy† refers to a piece of literature which constantly proceeds towards a sorrowful ending due to the conflicts among different characters. The death of a hero or heroine is often the tragic ending of a tragedy, as well as other deaths generally caused by the hero or heroine. Tragedy endings often include separation, loss, sadness, and death (McDonald 157). Shakespeare tends to emphasize the importance of each individual’s death in his tragedies. However, these deaths are caused by the people in the play rather than forces of fate (Carlin 151). The actual â€Å"tragic† element in tragedies comes from the characters’ decisions–which are not influenced by fate. Examples of Shakespeare’s tragedies caused by human caprice include The Tragedy†¦show more content†¦It is simply the circumstances and choices of the young lovers, not â€Å"fate,† that determines their destiny. The fundamentally flawed nature of the unconscio us man leads all of mankind to his own destruction, but only at the behest of his own will. In the end, Romeo and Juliet’s fate unfolds due to their indulgence in the tragic nature of humanity (Harbage 30). The â€Å"tragic nature of all people† simply means all human beings manifest disastrous flaws. Since all humans are fundamentally flawed, it would be nearly impossible to single out a single characteristic flaw in either Romeo or Juliet that would eventually lead to such an extreme tragedy as that in the play. Instead, the interactions and the decisions of the various characters with different sets of fatal flaws contribute to the tragic ending in Romeo and Juliet. Self-determined actions, not the actions of fate, control our futures. Romeo and Juliet’s families are often perceived as a part of the â€Å"stars† making Romeo and Juliet â€Å"star-crossed† lovers. The