Romeo and Juliet

Do you think that the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is really a tragedy? Explain your response.
I think that it is a sad story, but also a happy story. It is sad because there is a lot of death in this story but it is happy because the two lovers are finally able to be together. Throughout the story, the two lovers are not able to be together. From the moment they lay eyes on each other, they are unable to be together publicly. Their families are complete enemies so the two lovers would never be able to be open about their love. Although their deaths are very sad, it makes me kind of happy that they were finally able to be together in the end. I think the overall problem of the story is the two lover’s unreachable love. So I think it is essential that the ending is the lover’s death and final reunion. It seems like the end is like the end of a battle because the lover’s love was a constant battle and something they had to hide. But now, once the two are dead, they have finally won their battle that is their love, which make me happy.
Why does Juliet kill herself when she could be free?
To be honest, I think that the power of love is stronger than rationalization. Being a freshman in high school, I have no idea what love is, but obviously, Romeo and Juliet thought that they found it in each other. That power was so strong that it pained them to be away from each other. If Juliet did not kill herself after Romeo died, she would be in agonizing pain for the rest of her existence. Killing herself was her way of being able to be with Romeo, the one she loved, for the rest of her life. In my opinion, a freshman in high school, there would still be life after Romeo’s death. Sure, it would be hard to find and follow the course of life after the death of her lover, but eventually Juliet would be able to find it. My opinion is skewed, having no knowledge of love, so I can’t really judge Juliet’s actions. I think that it was a little too dramatic for Juliet to kill herself to be with Romeo, but I guess it just shows how strong their love for one another was. Juliet would rather be with the one she loved, the one she had been living for, than find another
What do you think of Capulet’s orders that Juliet marry Paris? Was he correct to do so? Why or why not?
I think his orders are somewhat reasonable and somewhat not. I don’t think marriage arrangements are right for either members of the couple. However, I see why Capulet wanted Juliet to marry Paris. The image of Paris is exactly what every parent wants their child to marry. He is intelligent, successful, good-looking, charismatic, etc. When Paris first starting talking about asking for Juliet’s hand in marriage, the Capulets saw it as the perfect husband laid out right in front of them. They had to jump on him. He was something so good that they didn’t want to let him get away. He would also make the Capulets’ image better because he was the perfect male specimen. The Capulets saw him as a wise choice for marriage and someone who would make Juliet very happy. They, however, did not know that Juliet was already in love with Romeo. They tried to force Paris onto Juliet softly at first, but once she denied him, the parents had to seek stronger reinforcement to make sure this “perfect” man/marriage opportunity did not get away. They agreed for Juliet, that the two would marry on the coming Thursday. If I were Juliet, and I was betrothed to someone I did not have feelings for and I was already in love with another man, I would react just like she did. In that sense, I think the arranged marriage is completely wrong. However, the parents had Juliet, and their own, interest at heart. I am happy that arranged marriages are not very common today because I would not want to be put in the situation that Juliet was put in.