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Romeo And Juliet Tragic Hero Essay

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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. Hamartia is a fatal flaw of a tragic hero, which leads them to their death, and this is used a lot by Shakespeare. Romeo’s fatal character flaw is that he jumps straight to conclusions and this is shown throughout the entire play, especially at the end when he sees Juliet dead. When Romeo reaches the Capulet’s tomb, he says, “Thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open,[/]And in despite I’ll cram thee with more food!” (Romeo & Juliet V.iii.47-48). Romeo uses personification to show that he is going to commit suicide, by telling the tomb to open its mouth and eat another body. Romeo thinks that Juliet is dead and that …show more content…

Catharsis is the release of the audience’s emotions through empathy with the character. The audiences’ connections with Romeo will cause them to feel sorrow for Romeo’s death, which makes Romeo’s death a tragedy. In Romeo’s dying lines, he says “Seal with a righteous kiss[…]Thus with a kiss I die.” (Romeo & Juliet V.iii.114-120). Romeo kisses Juliet and then drinks the poison which instantly kills him, but the audience knows that Juliet isn’t dead and that Romeo’s death was unnecessary. This makes the audience feel sorrow for Romeo’s death, because of the empathy with Romeo. The audience mostly feels sorrow for the tragic hero, and in “Romeo and Juliet” the audience feels sorrow for Romeo, which makes him a tragic

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