Comparative Essay-Hamlet and Romeo and Juliette-Protagonists

To begin, a tragedy is defined “as a play whereby the protagonist has lead way to an unhappy ending” (Webster pg 278). Like in most of Shakespeare’s tragedies, the protagonists have attained a certain level of upper social status. But in his tragic plays, this characteristic has been a hindrance rather than an aid to there success. The following will show how this aspect had lead to both Hamlet and Romeo’s ultimate demise.

Firstly, Romeo, the main protagonist in Romeo and Juliet, had seen his tragic end fuelled by his social status. Romeo, a Montague, was forbidden

Finally, quite common to all of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes, a tragic flaw is usually possessed and partially responsible for their vexatious demise. A tragic flaw is defined as “a serious fault that leads to a protagonist’s downfall and eventual death” (class handout). Although opposite in nature, both Romeo and Hamlet have evident tragic flaws that are semi responsible for their demise.

Similar to both Romeo and Hamlet, their tragic flaws, although contrasting, were obviously directly related to their eventual downfall. This was proven in full in the previous paragraph. Due to this it fits the profile of a tragedy as stated by Webster.

The clashing force shared by both Romeo and Hamlet, fate, has quite obviously been a catalyst to their eventual demise. By causing a definite unhappy ending to each respective play, they both clearly fit the outline of a typical Shakespearean tragedy.

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