Literary Elements

A detailed Summary of Literary Elements

Blind love, tragic flaws, and catastrophes are all parts of an intriguing play. After many scenes of battling, falling in love, and fighting, it still cannot be decided on who the antagonist and protagonist characters are in certain plays. In the plays of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and Antigone by Sophocles, this mystery exist. Would the antagonist in the play Antigone, be Antigone herself, or is it the character of Creon? Is Juliet the antagonist in Romeo and Juliet or is it the well-meaning Friar Laurence? To find out, many things have to be looked into like the drama and tragedies in the plays.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a play that is very dependent on certain characters. For example, Friar Laurence, who tries to come up with a plan " " to make the couple live off happily together, is a very well-meaning person. Because he is the main helper of the couple, could he be considered the protagonist? Many people believe that Juliet is the protagonist of the play. She is considered to have the mind of a modern woman at the age of fifteen. She takes her own decisions " " without listening to her parents. Juliet also has been an independent woman

The drama and tragedy also play a big role in deciding of the protagonist and Antagonist characters of a play are. To be an protagonist, you have to have a tragic flaw. Almost every hero and heroine of a play has a tragic flaw. For Antigone and Juliet it is their stubbornness. While Antigone decides to bury her brother even tough she knows it's against the gods' and Creon's will she still does it. Juliet is set off to get married with Paris " " but goes against her parents will by stating that she will marry no other than Romeo. Romeo's tragic flaw would be his boyish/immature acts. In the fight scene with Tybalt, he never tells that that he has gotten married with Juliet and that they are brothers " " he remains mysterious which leads to Tybalt's death. The dramatic features also affect a play's characters greatly. Dramatic irony is a prime example for this. When Juliet tells her mother that she goes to bed early to get ready for the wedding " " the audience knows that she is off to take Friar Lawrence's potion instead. This is ironic because it is something that the audience knows but the characters don't. Another form of dramatic importance is foreshadowing. In the beginning of the play when Juliet defies her mother by telling her that she will not marry Paris, her mother says " ". The irony in this is that Juliet actually does die at the end and instead of being happy about it like she said, the mother is very sad about it. This lesson can also be learned and put into real life situations. Be careful for what you wish, because you just might get it.

" " While father Capulet remained a pacifist " " and let Romeo stay. Romeo

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1140
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English