Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet The protagonist of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet is Romeo Montague. Most of the play's action centers on him and his passionate affection for Juliet. At first Romeo experiences unrequited love with Rosaline but when he sets eyes on Juliet, he immediately forgets Rosaline. However, his love of Juliet is forbidden and eventually their romance results in their deaths. Because Romeo is the central character of the play and the force behind the plot, he is the protagonist.

While there is no central antagonist in the play, Tybalt best fits that role. A young, rash Capulet, Tybalt stands in Romeo's way from the very beginning when he notices Romeo at the Capulet dinner. When he attempts to attack Romeo, the elder Capulet must restrain him. Later, he challenges Romeo to a duel. However, Romeo refuses to fight and instead his dear friend Mercutio fights in his place and dies.

Therefore, Tybalt causes much pain and anguish to the protagonist and can be rightly named the antagonist of the play. The conflict of Romeo and Juliet is that the two young lovers are forbidden to marry because their families are engaged in a bitter feud. Were it not for the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues, Romeo and Juliet would be able to instantly marry. However, the conflict is the essence of the play; without it there would be no story.

Romeo and Juliet reaches a climax when Romeo believes that Juliet is dead. Taking the poison, he kills himself before knowing that Juliet's state was temporary and that she was still alive. When Juliet awakens and sees her lover dead, she too commits suicide and the play's plot is soon resolved. The resolution of the play occurs when Juliet stabs herself. Now the lovers are united in death.

Their parents' fighting indirectly caused their suicides; the sight of their dead children inspires the Montagues and Capulets to resolve their differences and cease the feud. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, a town in Italy. The setting accentuates the romantic theme of the play, for Italy is commonly thought of as a.