Romeo and Juliet Tragic Hero Essay

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.
A tragic hero must be from a high estate or well- known family. For a family to be of a high status means to be a well- known family of wealth. Both Romeo and Juliet are from high estates. Juliet is a Capulet a well- known family but not as high status as the Montagues. Romeo is a Montague a family of higher status than the Capulets. You know Romeo is of high status when it is said by Benvolio in Act 1, Scene 1, in Line 141: ‘”My noble uncle. “’ As mentioned in the prologue both families successful merchants, large houses, and many servants.
Both of these families are of high estate and well- known by the people of Verona. Tragic heroes must also have a tragic flaw to them. Both tragic heroes have a tragic flaw. Romeo’s tragic flaw is that he does not think before he does something. He rushed to kill himself as soon as he believed that Juliet was dead. ‘”For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night. “’ -Said by Romeo in Act I, Scene V, in Line 52. The audience can quickly identify Romeo’s flaw of falling in love too quickly and deeply when he forgets about his 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’d, too sudden. “’ (Act II, Scene II, Lines 117-118). Juliet’s tragic flaw is that she is too loyal to Romeo. When she wakes up she sees that Romeo has poisoned himself, so she kills herself with his dagger. ‘” I will kiss thy lips, haply some poison yet doth hang on them to me die with a restorative. ”’ Said by Juliet in Act IV, Scene III, in Line 165- 167. Most tragic flaws are usually the cause of a characters downfall. Romeo’s tragic flaw was cause of his downfall.
His tragic flaw was that he did not think before acted. He heard that Juliet was dead so he went and got some poison and drank it when he saw Juliet; thinking she was dead. While he is dying she had awaken and then he realizes he made a fatal mistake. Juliet’ tragic flaw was also a cause of her downfall. Her loyalty for Romeo drives her to suicide when she awakes and sees that Romeo is dying because of the poison he drank; she takes his dagger and stabs herself. As she stabs herself she says ‘” This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die. ”’ (Act V, Scene III, Line 170).
Romeo and Juliet both let their tragic flaws cause their downfall. To be a tragic hero you must be from a high estate, have a tragic flaw, and the tragic flaw is the cause of your downfall. Romeo and Juliet are both part of high estate. Romeo’s family being of higher status. Both Romeo and Juliet have tragic flaws. Romeo’s tragic flaw being that he does not think before he does something. Romeo falls in love with Juliet upon meeting her therefore he did not think about it and just fell for her. Juliet’s tragic flaw was that she is too loyal to Romeo.
She takes her life away because Romeo killed himself for her so she kills herself. Romeo and Juliet both let their tragic flaw be the cause of their down fall. Romeo let his tragic flaw of not thinking before acting; kill himself before he realizes that Juliet is not dead. Juliet let her tragic flaw of being too loyal to Romeo and seeing that he is dead she commits suicide and stabs herself with Romeo’s Dagger. Both Romeo and Juliet portray all the characteristics of being a tragic hero in the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.