Tragic Hero In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

The two previously mentioned characteristics of Romeo’s personality, when combined, create several crucial moments in Romeo’s life that prove him to be a perfect example of a tragic hero. For instance, upon meeting and falling in love with Juliet, Romeo’s decision to propose to her after knowing her for only one night seems to spark a chain of events that have a negative impact on Romeo. Right after he marries Juliet, Romeo is provoked in a fight by and eventually kills Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Even though Romeo only does this to avenge the death of his best friend, Mercutio, he seems to realize the dire consequences of what he has done and recognize that unfortunate things continue to happen to him. Romeo addresses his lack of good luck in saying, “Oh, I am fortune’s fool!” (3.1 L. 133) While it could be argued that Romeo could not help the fact that he was Tybalt’s enemy or that it was in his fate, like Juliet’s, to have bad things happen to him, his killing of Tybalt is what triggers the series of events that lead to his death. …show more content…
This causes both Juliet and him to be miserable. Juliet’s misery leads to Friar Lawrence’s plot to fake her death, and Romeo’s despair is what leads him to make the decision to commit suicide when learning of his wife’s “death.” At the end of the play, both of Romeo’s tragic flaws come together to bring about his demise. When told by Balthasar that Juliet is dead, he lets his emotions prevent him from thinking rationally and questioning what he hears. Romeo’s absence of thoughtfulness when given this news is made evident when he says,”Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight. .