Tragedy is a vast subject; There are many aspects to a tragedy. A tragedy includes events that arouse emotions of pity and fear. These emotions can define a tragedy and are evoked while watching the play or reading the drama. In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet, experience events that arouse pity and fear in the reader. An Aristotelian tragedy is a specific type of tragedy described by Aristotle. In this type of tragedy, a chain of cause and effect is established and the fate of the characters is determined by their tragic flaw. There is no predestined destiny; the character's fate is entirely in his hands. In a normal tragedy, fate is the factor that determines the events that unfold in the drama. The characters have no control over the outcome of a normal tragedy. Whether a tragedy is Aristotelian or not is open to interpretation. Romeo and Juliet had an Aristotelian ending due to their unfortunate tragic flaws and evidence of tragic emotions/catharsis. To begin with, Romeo's tragic flaw is the excessive exaggeration of his emotions. Romeo is overly emotional when dealing with large-scale issues. For example, he overreacts when he learns of his banishment from Verona. He begins to cry hysterically on the floor of Brother Lawrence's cell. Romeo's emotions get the best of him and he ends up feeling hopeless. His emotions lead him to have a very negative outlook: “There is no world without the walls of Verona,/ But purgatory, torture, hell itself./ Thus banished is banished from the world” ( III, iii, 18-20). This quote shows Romeo's perspective on life outside of Verona. Romeo completely overreacts to his banishment and seems very desperate to the friar. Consequently, the friar in this middle of paper proves that Romeo and Juliet is an Aristotelian tragedy. Romeo's monumental flaw of acting too emotional is solely the reason his life ends in a tragic death. Additionally, Juliet's tragic flaw of making foolish decisions leads her to an untimely death. Many emotions are evoked in the reader, such as pity and fear; the two main emotions of a tragedy. A catharsis, or purging of tragic emotions, occurs, proving that the play is an Aristotelian tragedy. Catharsis is a major element of this type of tragedy. Both families were able to apologize to each other at the end of the play and a healthy balance replaces the tragic emotions. A tragedy is made up of many different elements, but certain types of tragedies have definite elements. Finally, Romeo and Juliet is a classic Aristotelian tragedy because of the tragic flaws, tragic emotions and unforgettable catharsis..