“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?” This quote is widely considered to be the most famous quote from the Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet is the story of “two star-crossed lovers” who fall in love in a period of three days. Romeo and Juliet come from opposing families, the Montagues and the Capulets, families who constantly cause issues within the city of Verona. The play demonstrates the concept that love is not only dangerous but fatal. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as having high social standards, an overall good nature, and a downfall that is seen as worse than the hero deserves. Romeo and Juliet possess such qualities, therefore they can be considered tragic heroes. Although, while Romeo and Juliet can technically …show more content…
Romeo and Juliet essentially come from “noble stature” due to their family heritage deriving from the socially high Montague and Capulet families. As shown in the play, the Montague and Capulet houses have long been ancient rivals, disrupting the peace in Verona. Romeo is the son of Lord and Lady Montague, whilst Juliet is the daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet. They both have an abundance of relatives or relationships with the people of Verona, many appearing throughout the play and portraying an important role in the plot. In regards to respect, Capulet is seen to appreciate Romeo’s presence at his party and reiterates his courtesy to Tybalt. Therefore, their connections demonstrate how respected their families are, and even more so, how the opposing families respect each …show more content…
In Romeo and Juliet, the two characters have many flaws, influencing what aspect a reader would view them. Romeo Montague is portrayed as incredibly impatient, impulsive, and immature. Romeo behaves extremely foolishly in regard to his choices in women and what he deems is love. Concerning his impulsive nature, he does not understand that his actions have consequences. For example, Romeo eventually arrives at the tomb where Juliet lies, and once he assumes she is dead, he kills himself. His impulsivity is unable to be reversed, hence his death. Similar to Romeo, Juliet Capulet is presented as impetuous as well as her blatant ignorance of the privileged life she had. If it weren’t for her disregard for her valuable life, she would still be alive and possibly even content or happy. Both Romeo and Juliet own qualities that negatively impact the way readers perceive them, though not in a way completely jeopardizing their overall morality, allowing them to fit as tragic heroes all the