Introduction
Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is one of the most classic and exemplary works in the tragic play’s genre. The greatest poet skillfully and masterfully revealed in his creation the theme of love and freedom of choice, the problems of anger, revenge, and unforgiveness, as well as the piece of theomachy. Even the work’s format and composition are based on an asymmetric confrontation, which acquires a ring structure precisely due to parallel conflicts, creating an accurate idea of the dramatic moments and phenomena. The play’s main essence, formatting, and idea in a brighter and loftier form are revealed through the prism of Aristotle’s reflections and arguments about drama and tragedy.
Aristotle’s Theory of Tragic Drama
According to the critical concepts of Aristotle’s Theory, the following main points should be highlighted in “Romeo and Juliet.” Firstly, the tragedy expresses a deep and meaningful thought since “imitation of an important and complete action” is performed (Mambrol, 2018). In this action, the plots and characters play the leading role. The drama’s plot certainly has twists and turns and recognition. Thus, there is a transition from happiness to unhappiness, and the secret becomes clear when the main character loses his illusions, understanding the essence of what is happening around him.
Secondly, according to Aristotle, the play’s characters are noble in their way of thinking. All the actions of the heroes, as a rule, follow from their beliefs and attitudes to life (Kenny and Aristotle, 2013, p. 20). These people are not perfect and immaculate, but they can undoubtedly be called good people who voluntarily or involuntarily made some mistake. Thirdly, in this case, tragedy cleanses the main characters’ souls from the affects through fear and compassion (catharsis). Aristotle understood the great importance of the author’s attitude to the people and events depicted by him. Therefore, the man focuses on the thoughts that the poet wanted to express in the drama, and in his opinion, these thoughts should be expressed through the heroes.
“Six Formative Elements” of Tragic Drama and Telos
Undoubtedly, it can be noted with firm confidence that Aristotle’s “six formative elements” are applied to Shakespeare’s work. These parts are plot, characters, thoughts, stage setting, text, and musical composition. These aspects are used not occasionally, but one might say, by all poets, since every drama has a stage setting, characters, plot, text, musical composition, and thoughts. The most important factors are the composition of events since tragedy is not an image of people but life’s actions and misfortune. Romeo and Juliet were “hostages” of external circumstances due to the hostility of the two families, which led to internal conflict and an unfavorable outcome. Besides, tragedy is impossible without action, and without characters, it is possible. Shakespeare portrays the heroes’ personality, character, temperament, and manner of communication through the actions performed. Thus, the beginning and, as it were, the soul of the tragedy is the plot, and the second is the characters.
After all, a tragedy is an image of action and mainly through it the image of the actors. The thoughts of the main characters are indicated so that a viewer can feel sympathy, the text thoroughly explains the behavior and movements, and the musical composition is the most important decoration of the tragedy that captivates the soul. Moreover, the combination of these components helps Shakespeare achieve the expected effect from the audience and readers of the play. The author involved “outsiders” in the story, forcing them to show emotions and feelings for the situation, the characters, and their great tragedy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “Romeo and Juliet” is an “ideal” tragedy in a sense, connecting the central and significant genre elements. According to Aristotle’s thoughts, ideas, and concepts, Shakespeare’s creation meets all the “requirements” of the classical understanding of the dramatic, theatrical, and tragic. The situation, the plot, and the dialogues are played out in this way, “igniting” people’s hearts and forcing them to show sympathy and understanding for the young failed couple due to external and internal conflicts.
References
Kenny, A., & Aristotle. (2013). Poetics. Oxford University Press.
Mambrol, N. (2018). Tragedy: An introduction. Literary Theory and Criticism. Web.