Is the ending of Romeo and Juliet a tragedy or a triumph? Defend your answer with examples and reasons from the play

Answer: Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy.

Explanation:

The prologue of this play establishes it as a tragedy by using key words like "fatal", "piteous", and "strife". Shakespeare lets the audience know from the very first lines that this is a tragic tale.

"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parents' strife."

Of course, he further elaborates on the tragedy through the scenes just foreshadowed. Romeo and Juliet, our protagonists both die. In a triumphant ending, we would see the protagonist achieve their desires.

There are subtle examples of the tragedy as well. In Act 2 Scene 2, Juliet laments on their unfortunate circumstance. "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?" She isn't asking where he is, but why he has to be a Montague. Though it is a romantic scene in which they reveal their desires, it is inherently tragic. They can never truly be together.