Will Jochum
Mrs. Angela Yeager
Pre-AP English 9
19 March 2016
Romeo- A Tragic Hero William Shakespeare was a well known author whose plays are classified as tragedies. In the Oxford dictionary, a tragedy is described as a serious disaster. In Shakespeare plays, tragedy is described as a story that ends unhappily due to the fall of the protagonist, also known as the tragic hero. In the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is the tragic hero. Romeo is considered the tragic hero because of his tragic flaw, his noble birth, and his series of poor decisions. Romeo is understood as a tragic hero due to his birth. Romeo is belonging to the house of Montagues, a well known- respected family in Verona, Italy. In Act 1, Scene 1, line 141- when Benvolio says: “ My noble uncle,” is a proven fact that yes the Montagues are of noble birth. Romeo is also respected in Verona because of the Montagues being rich. It was said by Lord Capulet in Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 65-66: “Verona brags of him…. a bears him like a party gentleman,” This quote tells us that Romeo is a well known, and well respected. Usually when a noble character like Romeo is introduced as being noble, the audience is made aware that at the end the character will have a tragic fall. Another characteristic of a tragic hero is the tragic flaw. In Romeo’s case it
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The audience can quickly identify Romeo’s flaw of falling in love too quickly and deeply when he forgets about feelings for Rosaline and concentrates on Juliet. Juliet too realizes that Romeo’s love for her was too fast when she said: “ It is too rash, too undvis’s, too sudden.”(Act 2 Scene 2 Lines 117-118). Having a tragic flaw could be foreshadowing of the fall of the tragic hero. Romeo being the play’s tragic hero makes many poor decisions. One of those decisions is going to Capulet’s party.” Direct my sail! Oh lusty gentlemen,” says Romeo in Act 1 Scene 4 Lines