Character Traits Leading to a Downfall

A downfall occurs when an important person dies in a tragic way. It's also one of the key parts that make up a Shakespearean tragedy, also including the flaws in a character and the external pressures they face from others. Romeo and Juliet is an example of a Shakespearean tragedy where both of the main characters end up dying in the end, including the downfall of Romeo. I believe there are three character traits that contribute to someone's downfall: stubbornness, low self-esteem, and bad decision-making. All of them can be used to describe Romeo.

Being stubborn can have a very negative effect on a person. In most cases, people can be stubborn by not wanting to adjust to change. While it doesn't seem like much, doing so can lead to worse consequences. With Romeo, he shows his stubborn side by continuing to pursue Rosaline, the girl he loves before meeting Juliet, even though she wants to become a nun and not marry. When he finds out she's going to party for his family's enemy, he decides to go there anyways. This leads to his next trait: bad decision-making. This one is very obvious. If any person continues to always make the wrong life decisions, they'll end up dead. The decision Romeo made to go to the ball would prove to be very costly. It is there where he meets Juliet, instantly falls in love with her, and starts a war between the Montagues and Capulets, ending in his death. Finally, another character trait that leads to a downfall is low self-esteem. When you don't have confidence, you feel vulnerable and can be more easily manipulated by others. Romeo's depressed when he realizes that Rosaline won't marry him and his confidence is at an all-time low. Because of this, his cousin Benvolio is able to convince him to go to the Capulet ball. While he had no intentions to contribute to Romeo's downfall, Benvolio paves the way for the roller coaster of events that follow, ending in Romeo's death.

Shakespeare is famous for creating tragic plays that are capped off by the downfall of one or more main characters. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo's flaws that lead to his downfall are his stubbornness, low self-esteem, and his tendency to make bad decisions.

For more information on what a Shakespearean tragedy is and for examples, click on the link below.

http://shakespeare.about.com/od/thetragedies/a/Shakespeare_Tragedies.htm

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