Romeo and Juliet is a play with a lot of questions raised about the true nature of Romeo's heroism. Most people would say that he is a tragic hero based on his actions that lead to the inevitable downfall that resulted in death. Romeo is a character that is hard to relate to and warps our understanding of what it truly means to be a tragic hero.
According to Aristotle's definition a tragic hero is someone who is noble with royal blood and has an inevitable downfall that causes audience distress and pity. Romeo is a character that is trying to find love and is simply faced with dozens of road blocks. A tragic hero is defined as, “A flaw or error of judgement (hamartia)” Aristotle. Romeo is a fool and marries Juliet from the rival family, Romeo’s hamartia is love, it's his flaw. Looking back from the start of the play we are introduced to Rosaline, Romeo is in love with her but his hamartia prevents him from marrying her simply because
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The power of love is strong within lots of people and the fight that comes along with it is strong as well. Romeos act of killing in Romeo and Juliet demonstrates the unique attribute in a tragic hero. The morals to kill someone may be low but the play also has to show worthiness towards the death of the main character, this could be foolishness or an evil deed. Going on from the power of love, Romeo is a character who is controlled by the power of love rather than killing for the sake of killing. Romeo in Act 3 scene 6 says “Oh, I am a fortune’s fool!”, this line clearly means that he regrets what he has done even if Tybalt killed his best friend. However, the act of killing someone far more outways the feeling of regret. So when Romeo dies in the play the audience doesn’t feel sad for him they feel pity because after all he has done in the play he was deservant for his end, although because he’s the main character the audience still wanted to see him through to the
West Side Story. Wise, Robert, Jerome Robbins, and Arthur Laurents. Santa Monica: MGM/UA Home Entertainment, 1961.Film.
William Shakespeare wrote the play Romeo and Juliet, which is about the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet are forbidden to see one another, due to their families’ feud. The Capulets, Juliet, and Montagues, Romeo, are the enemies in this feud. The question is, were the parents against them? Or were they just trying to protect and make them happy? Shakespeare was born on April 26, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616. When he was eighteen years old, he married Anne Hathaway and has three children, Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet.
Lady Capulet tells Capulet he'd better have a crutch instead of a sword, and Lady
In entertainment, there are many types of heroes: Epic heroes, superheroes, anti-heroes, and tragic heroes. In the play Romeo And Juliet, Romeo plays the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a protagonist destined to have a tragic outcome because of their flaws. During his star-crossed story, his flaws start to show, ultimately ending in his and his lovers' sorrowful deaths. Being ruled by his emotions and confusing lust for love are only two of his many flaws, but they play a significant role in his downfall.
II, Scene 3 shows that Romeo has altered as a person, (he shows a new
Love, in 'Romeo and Juliet' has its own importance in the theme of inner struggle between the two protagonists, Romeo and Juliet. Juliet is torn between staying loyal to her family and therefore obeying her parents to marry Paris or staying married to an enemy, Romeo, “My husband lives, that Tybalt has slain; / And Tybalt's dad, that would have slain my husband: / All this is comfort; wherefore weep I then?” (3:2). On the other hand, Romeo has his struggles too. He juggles between the idea of banishment from Verona and not being able to see his beloved Juliet again and that of death, “Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say 'death'.” (3:3). The secret marriage between Romeo and Juliet is also one of the outcomes due to love. It is because of love that Juliet risked her parents' disapproval to not marry Paris and Romeo risked the danger of being killed by Capulet's kinsmen to go to see her. Yet again, this shows the inner struggle of Romeo and Juliet.
A tragic hero is a character that the audience identifies with. This character is born into a high position, or worked diligently to achieve their goal. They possess a quality unknown to them, that causes their downfall. Through strife and a long journey, the tragic hero is able to redeem humanity. Three main theories of the tragic hero are the Aristotelian model, the Shakespearean model, and the modern tragic hero. For instance, nobility is characterized by being upper class and having elevated character. Romeo satisfies both these criteria through his position as son of the Montague family, and he was even referred to as a gentleman by his enemies. Although he was respected by many, Romeo’s impulsiveness, or his fatal flaw that moves
In the play, “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Romeo Montague qualifies as a tragic hero, because the main elements needed for a tragic hero are seen in Romeo. Shakespeare’s definition of a tragic hero perfectly applies to Romeo, because of hamartia, catharsis, and tragic waste are all seen in the play and all of them involve Romeo. Romeo’s death was caused by a fatal character flaw, which is his impetuosity and his rashness of actions before thinking thoroughly. In “Romeo and Juliet”, hamartia is a major part of Romeo’s tragic death.
According to Aristotle’s definition, Romeo Montague would unequivocally be regarded a tragic hero. Aristotle states that a tragic hero is someone of high social standing, but also has positive character attributes that would cause the audience to sympathize with him as he meets his downfall. Romeo was born into a wealthy and prominent family; he was the son of a lord, Lord Montague. He was also regarded as an innocent and gentlemanly character. In the play, upon seeing Romeo at his party, Juliet’s father Capulet compliments Romeo’s character, saying “he bears ‘himself’ like a portly gentleman, ‘and that’, Verona brags of him to be a virtuous and well-governed youth.”
The love between Romeo and Juliet is iconic yet people still wonder if Romeo’s love is genuine or a product of infatuation. Women with beauty are the only ones that catch Romeo’s eyes and there are many examples where he refers to Rosaline as beautiful. Romeo’s desire for love also plays a big role in weakening the integrity of his love for Juliet. Due to Romeo’s young age, he does not see the difference between admiration and true love. Throughout the play, many actions made by Romeo make the readers question whether Romeo’s love for Juliet is real.
Further on in Act 3 after Tybalt slays Mercutio, Romeo retaliates by killing Tybalt in another act of vengeance that once again originated from hatred. Later on in Act 3 Romeo proclaims, “Staying for thine to keep him company./Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him (3.1.125-126)”. Through this statement and his actions that follow Romeo kills Tybalt in a blinding rage because of Mercutio's death. Through this murder he ends up sealing his own fate by banishing himself and being separated from Juliet which eventually leads to him killing himself because he was unable to hear the news of her “fake” death. Together the actions of Tybalt and Romeo’s hate lead to the untimely death of Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, and Mercutio which further shows that the rageful action of the human heart are the most culpable for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Hate not only makes us do things that spell our own doom but also makes us attempt to fix things in order bring back peace, this is the case of Friar Lawrence.
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is "a tragic hero.” This is according to Aristotle’s definition, a tragic hero is a character “who is neither completely good nor completely bad, but also a member of royalty.” Romeo is a tragic hero because he does many good things, but many bad things, as well. For example, he is a Montague and he marries Juliet, who is a Capulet. This is prohibited, so Romeo is bad. However, Romeo does everything he can to keep Juliet happy and risks his life for her, which makes him good. Romeo is also a man of royalty because he is Montague’s son. Romeo’s character has many contradictions, which makes the audience think, “is he good or bad?” Asking these questions and not knowing the answer leads
The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare shows how Romeo and Juliet meet. The play takes place in Verona, Italy. The Montagues and Capulets have ongoing feuds with each other. Romeo Montague meets Juliet Capulet at one of her family’s parties, instantly fall in love, and decide to secretly get married the the day after the party. Throughout the play, both Romeo and Juliet show character traits they have which leads to a tragic ending.
William Shakespeare is an English poet and play right. His plays mainly consisted of comedies, history, and tragedies. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare. For a play to be a tragedy there must be a tragic hero. In Shakespeare plays, tragedy is identified as a story that ends unhappily due to the fall of the protagonist, which is the tragic. In this play there are two tragic heroes. Romeo and Juliet are both the tragic heroes. To be a tragic hero they must be from a high estate, have a tragic flaw, and the tragic flaw is the cause of their downfall.
In many literary works, there are methods that authors use to make a story better. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, dramatic irony is the driving method. Dramatic irony is something in which characters do not know something, but the reader or audience knows what the true reality is. According to some researchers, “A staple of Elizabethan and Shakespearean drama was dramatic irony” (Halio 25). Furthermore some researchers also belive that dramatic irony is very prominent in the play, “ One of the more prominent literary devices in the play is irony” (Sauer 673). Romeo and Juliet, and also their friends and families face a lot of instances of dramatic irony in the story. Dramatic irony creates suspense and adds to