Romeo and Juliet the 20th century, these moral arguments were disputed by critics such as Richard Green Moulton: he argued that accident, and not some character flaw, led to the lovers' deaths. In "Romeo and Juliet", Shakespeare employs several dramatic techniques that have garnered praise from critics; most notably the abrupt shifts from comedy to tragedy (an example is the punning exchange between Benvolio and Mercutio just before Tybalt arrives). Before Mercutio's death in Act three, the play is largely a comedy. After his accidental demise, the play suddenly becomes serious and takes on a tragic tone. When Romeo is banished, rather than
Romeo and Juliet effect promising basis for a sound marriage. In Shakespeare's telling of the Romeo and Juliet story -- where the parents never actually learn about the love between the two main characters -- the intense feelings last a mere five days, and would hardly seem to have been the basis for a long and happy union. Romeo and Juliet effect The Romeo and Juliet effect is when of parental opposition to a relationship intensifies the romantic feelings of those in the relationship. The effect gets its name from the relationship between the protagonists in William Shakespeare's late 16th-century play, "Romeo and Juliet,"