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The Townspeople In Romeo And Juliet Essay

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The play The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, also known as Romeo and Juliet, is indeed a tragedy of a whole city and not just that of two individuals. This can be identified in many parts of the play such as the involvement of the townspeople in numerous scenes, along with the deaths of various characters and their association in the affairs of the two lovers. There is also the fact that it was the selfish needs and desires of Romeo and Juliet that caused this tragedy to involve the whole city. Whether it is at the beginning or the end of the play, there is evidence of the townspeople being constantly involved in the various tragedies found in Romeo and Juliet. The first adversity faced by the townspeople is the town brawls that frequently occur due to the Capulets and the Montagues feud. As the prince suggests they, ‘Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets,’ (I.i.80) signifying that the townspeople are dragged into their fights quite often. During the frequent tragedies that occur in the play, the townspeople have had other appearances, such as when they disturbed the feuding families rest early in the morning with their cries, ‘Oh, the people in the street cry “Romeo,”/ Some “Juliet,” and some “Paris,”...’ (V,iii,206-207). This constant association of the …show more content…

However it is due to those selfish wishes that this tragedy becomes the city’s and not just their own. Due to those self-centred desires Mercutio is fatally wounded, his parting words being, ‘...A plague o' both your houses!’ (III,i,68) The prince who is also impacted by the two lovers as well as the feud, states that, ‘...All are punished.’(V,iii,312) meaning that due to their actions, the whole city is suffering and bearing the pain of this tragedy. This proves that the tragedy is not only that of the two lovers but that of the whole

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