Tragic Heros In Romeo And Juliet

These Violent Means Have Violent Ends Shakespeare is known for creating epic fatal heroes in his tragedies from “Macbeth” to “Hamlet”; does Romeo fit among these two tyrants? Romeo and his family have a high standing title in their time, which is the first component of a tragic hero. Moreover, Romeo exhibits a fatal flaw of impulsiveness. This impulsive nature leads to the disastrous death of Romeo Montague. In the play “Romeo and Juliet”, Romeo is the tragic hero. In particular, Romeo’s character comes from a highstanding title. Romeo is the son of the Montagues, who are a very wealthy family. Similarly, the Montague family has an abundance of loyal connections to their name. Foremost, Romeo has inherited a prominent social status: “He bores him like a portly gentleman. And, to say truth Verona brags of him…” (1.5.66-68). This reference from Capulet displays his respect towards Romeo, although the two families are foes. Thus proving the honourable status that Romeo possesses which is a necessary component of a tragic hero.

In particular, Romeo displays this hasty flaw when he reacts to Mercutio’s death by immediately hunting down and killing Tybalt. His instantaneous reaction to kill Paris during their encounter at the family tomb exhibits this flaw as well. On top of these actions, Romeo’s infatuation with Rosaline is introduced very early on in the play, but once he meets Juliet he hastily forgets of his prior love: “Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, so soon forsaken? Young men’s love then not truly lies in their hearts, but in their eyes.” (2.3.67-70). This reaction to Romeo’s change in affection shows the nature of his love and the impulsiveness that comes along with it. This evidence proves the impulse Romeo is driven by during the play, which adds to his label of a tragic