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Romeo And Juliet Flaws

Decent Essays

Shakespeare’s concept of tragedy is one of which inescapable fate merges with character flaws and harrowing sorrow, which ultimately leads the protagonists’ to their untimely death. The well-known tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, is one of many that fulfils this definition. There is fate as well as character flaws and great sorrow in Romeo and Juliet. It displays these traits through its themes, personality flaws and foreshadowing.
Fate in Romeo and Juliet plays a central and major part of many of the character’s lives. The audience is given the idea that the lives of the characters are controlled by a higher power. The two protagonists, Romeo and Juliet are branded the ‘star – cross’d lovers’. Named as such, because their relationship is written in the ‘stars’ and doomed to fail. The fate of Romeo and Juliet were foreshadowed throughout the play especially Romeo’s premonition in 1.4, ‘my mind misgives/ some consequence yet hanging in the stars/ shall bitterly begin his fearful date’. However, Friar Lawrence, also contributes to the lovers’ downfall unknowingly. He appears to the audience as a calculated and careful man, but like all other characters he is controlled by fate’s hand. …show more content…

Unfortunately, his urge to ‘do good’ started the sequence of deaths that soon followed. The friar, when asked to marry the two lovers was hesitant due to Romeo’s quick change of heart from Rosaline to Juliet. Nevertheless, he agreed to the marriage owing to the fact that it would benefit both families, ‘for this alliance may so happy prove, / to turn your households’ rancour to pure love’ (2.3.94 – 5). His advice to Romeo, ‘Wisely, and slow; they stumble that run fast’ (2.3.97) should have been heeded himself, when he rushed to give Juliet the sleeping potion in 4.1. Had he not done so, Juliet and many others who died in 5.3 would still have been

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