Shakespeare also deviates from Aristotle's idea about the hero's recognition of the whole tragic situation. In Romeo and Juliet, it is not the hero Romeo who experiences recognition, both other characters in the play. Who are they and when does the recognition occur?
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In Romeo and Juliet, there are two characters other than Romeo who experience recognition moments. These characters are Juliet and Friar Laurence.
1. Juliet: Juliet's recognition occurs in Act 3, Scene 5, after spending the night with Romeo. She encounters her mother, Lady Capulet, and her father, Lord Capulet, who insist that she marries County Paris. Juliet refuses to comply and reveals her secret marriage to Romeo. This recognition is a turning point in the play as Juliet realizes the gravity of the situation, the consequences of her actions, and the conflicts she faces between her family and her love for Romeo.
2. Friar Laurence: Friar Laurence's recognition occurs in Act 5, Scene 3, during the final scene. Upon discovering Romeo and Paris dead, he realizes the repercussions of his actions. Friar Laurence acknowledges the tragic consequences of his plan that involved giving Juliet a sleeping potion to deceive her family and reunite her with Romeo. He recognizes that his well-intentioned scheme has led to the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet, and he is burdened with guilt.
These recognition moments highlight the deviation from Aristotle's notion that only the hero experiences recognition. Shakespeare demonstrates that multiple characters can undergo moments of realization and understanding throughout the play.
In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, there are two characters who experience recognition of the tragic situation apart from the hero, Romeo. These characters are Juliet and Friar Laurence.
Juliet is the first character to experience recognition in the play. After Romeo kills Tybalt, Juliet realizes the gravity of the situation. She recognizes that their secret love and hasty marriage has caused a chain of events leading to Tybalt's death. Juliet's realization is expressed in Act III, Scene II, when she reveals her conflicting emotions of love for both Romeo and her cousin Tybalt, saying:
"O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!
Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave?
Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical!
Dove-feather'd raven! wolvish-ravening lamb!
Despised substance of divinest show!
Just opposite to what thou justly seem'st."
The next character who experiences recognition is Friar Laurence. He recognizes the disastrous consequences of his own actions and the role he played in the tragedy. In Act V, Scene III, after Romeo and Juliet tragically die, Friar Laurence confesses his guilt, saying:
"Come, I'll dispose of thee
Among a sisterhood of holy nuns.
Stay not to question, for the watch is coming.
Come, go, good Juliet,
I dare no longer stay."
These instances of recognition by Juliet and Friar Laurence show that Shakespeare deviates from Aristotle's idea that it is only the hero who experiences recognition. Instead, Shakespeare allows other characters in the play to have moments of realization and understanding of the tragic situation. These recognitions contribute to the overall tragic impact of the play.