Romeo as a Tragic Hero Essay Sample

A youthful innocence is sometimes plagued by the ignorance of others. Romeo has been subject to act through his life role of innocence backed by a poisonous conflict that ruled out his innocence for the sake of reputation. The William Shakesperan story of Romeo and Juliet is surely an agonizing play, where heroes and villains struggle for their own individuality and battle for their survival as well as honor. The tragic hero of the story is undoubtedly  Romeo Montague, a young, naive teen who followed his heart. Romeo himself has shown how he can be a righteous person, where he has shown his courage, his innocence of intent in an oblivious, carefree world. Romeo demonstrates the qualities of a tragic hero through his hamartia known as his impulsiveness, catharsis; when families reconcile through a solution after death and display of an exceptional being through his good reputation.

Firstly, Romeo shows qualities of a tragic hero due to the particular reason of his hamartia, shown through his impulsive nature. One can interpret his impulsiveness not as a flaw but rather an attribute to his character. This flaw is a characteristic where he accumulates the strength and courage he needs to engage for the sake of another. The makeup of Romeo is further established by his courageousness when he uses his instincts to approach roles and rules set out by his society. It is his impulse to pursue his heart's desire in courting Juliet in favour of Rosaline. “What a change is here!/ is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear,/ So soon forsaken? Young men's love then/lies/ Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.”(Shakespeare 2.3 66-69). Friar Lawrence says Romeo was able to get over Rosaline so fast because his “love” defaults on one's physical attractiveness; in other words the prettier the better. One can imagine, if Juliet was not to Romeo's liking, he would still be emotionally attached to Rosaline. This displays irony as although he claimed to be deeply in love with Rosaline, once he laid eyes on Juliet, his love for Rosaline was no more. It can be easily said that the affection Romeo possessed for Rosaline was no more than the ideal of love rather than true love itself. Romeo is a free spirit,  he is able to overcome his remorse with undoubted confidence after seeing the beauty of Juliet.

Secondly, Romeo is a tragic hero due to his catharsis; the reconciliation of families through a solution after his death. When Romeo hears about the news of Juliet’s death through Benvolio, he is devastated. To cope with her death, he chooses to visit an apothecary and buy poison.  Romeo returns to Verona, the place he is banished from and drinks the poison on Juliet's deathbed, unaware she will wake in a few hours. As a result, the moment Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo deceased, she uses his dagger to stab herself to death after attempting to drink poison off of his lips. They are later found resting together peacefully by Friar Lawrence.  When news spreads and people begin to learn of this, the new information is brought to the attention of the prince. The remainder of the Capulet and Montague families decide to come together as one. After the death of their children, they came to a realization the constant arguing and conflict had caused the separation of two fated souls and the death of their children. “O brother Montague, give me thy hand./This is my daughter's jointure, for no more/Can I demand/But I can give thee more./For I will ray her statue in pure gold…”(5.3 313-318). In memory of Romeo and Juliet, Lord Montague and Lord Capulet rain a statue of pure gold in memory of the lovers. This  describes as a catharsis because the characters experience purging emotions at the end of a tragedy.  

Lastly, Romeo is a tragic hero because he is known throughout Verona as an exceptional being with a good reputation. Romeo was in love with Rosaline for quite some time but stopped pursuing her because she wishes to become a nun meaning she would keep her chastity. To his response, he believed it was a complete waste.  In hopes to see Rosaline, Mercutio, Benvolio, and Romeo decide to attend the Capulet ball after seeing her name on the guest list.  Tybalt, who was previously acquainted with Romeo noted his presence and immediately wished for him to be removed from the ball.  Afterall, it is interpreted that Tybalt does not wish for peace amongst the feuding families, he feeds off of  and supports the mutual hatred. Approaching the means for action, Tybalt complains of Romeo's presence to Lord Capulet. Lord Capulet responds, “Let him alone./He bears him like a portly gentleman/And, to say truth, Verona brags of him/To be a virtuous and well-governed/ youth.”(1.5 64-67).  He tells Tybalt that Romeo shall not be forced out, this is because Lord Capulet does not want to be punished by the prince.  This portrays irony as Romeo from the Montague family is not forced out as expected by Lord Capulet as the opposition. Instead, he is welcome because of his good behaviour and reputation. He wasn't causing any harm, therefore he was allowed to stay the while. 

In conclusion, in the play “Romeo and Juliet” Romeo the protagonist is the perfect depiction of a tragic hero. He is able to possess many of the characteristics needed to define a traffic hero. As shown throughout the play, Romeo experiences a handful of ups and downs through his life's adventure. When it comes to losing his best friend, Mercutio, to marrying the love of his life, Juliet, he shows his capabilities in his ability to handle all situations courageously and with confidence. He proves this through his impulsiveness, reconciliation of families through a mutual solution and representation of an exceptional being amongst the city of Verona.