Tragedy & Setting
English Lit: AQA GCSE Romeo & Juliet, topic 1.1.1
Tragedy
The play can be classified as a tragedy. Tragedies are plays that tell stories of people who make errors and suffer. In most tragedies, the main characters die at the end (like Romeo and Juliet).
Downfall
- Tragedies are stories about the downfall of the characters.
- This means that these characters begin the play in happy situations and end up in terrible ones (like Romeo and Juliet themselves).
Wider forces
- Sometimes, the wider forces in the world cause tragedy. This includes things like chance.
- In this play, fate causes a lot of the tragedy – Romeo and Juliet were fated to fall in love and die to end the fighting of their families.
Villains
- Sometimes it is villains who cause tragedy.
- Tybalt causes further tragedy as he tried to get vengeance (revenge) on Romeo and kills Mercutio.
- By doing this, he causes Romeo to take revenge on him.
Tragic characters
- Often, tragic characters bring about their own downfall.
- They have a flaw (an error) in their character, such as ambition or immorality, which makes them make mistakes of judgment
- Do Romeo and Juliet bring about their own downfall?
- Their decision to get married could be considered an error in judgement – they do not really think about the consequences of their actions in terms of their families’ reactions.
- Other errors in judgement could be their individual decisions to commit suicide without thinking it through.
Romeo and Juliet
- Romeo and Juliet suffer because of bad luck, but also their own bad judgements.
- Romeo’s rash decision to fight Tybalt and Juliet’s decision to take the sleeping potion has negative outcomes.
Setting
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in England sometime around 1594 to 1595 (the Elizabethan era).
Physical setting
- The play was set in Verona in Italy for the most part, with Romeo banished to Mantua later in the story.
- A range of settings are present in the text, from marketplaces to large family houses and tombs.
Social setting
- The social setting is central to the story – the two families are rich and powerful but don’t abide by (stick to) the law with regards to feuding (arguing over a long period of time).
Significance of Verona
- During the Elizabethan era, very few English people would have been able to visit Italy. They would have had very little knowledge or understanding of life in Italy, especially Verona.
- Italy was a great place to set a story like Romeo and Juliet.
- Because of the Romans, Italy is linked to many classical stories and myths. This means it is a very effective setting for stories of dramatic romance and violence.
- Italy was a Catholic country during this period, while England was in religious turmoil (a state of uncertainty or disruption). There was lots of fighting between Catholics and Protestants in England.
Test yourself on Tragedy & Setting
What happens to most characters at the end of tragedies?
Which of these show Romeo and Juliet's bad judgements?
What cause tragedies?
Where is Romeo banished to?
Why was Italy linked to many classical stories and myths?