Romeo: characteristics of the Shakespearean hero

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

We all know this classic hero of the famous work of William Shakespeare as an unhappy fifteen-year-old boy in love. "There is no sadder story in the world than the story of Romeo and Juliet …". The names of these two lovers were first used by Luigi da Porto in 1524 in his play The Story of Two Noble Lovers. The events took place in Verona. This plot became so popular during the Renaissance that in 1554 Matteo Bandello wrote a short story, in 1562 Arthur Brooke - the poem "Romeo and Juliet", and Shakespeare will take this story as a basis and create his world-famous tragedy.

Story plot

The protagonist appears on the scene immediately after a short fight between two servants of the warring noble families of the Montagues and the Capulets in the city of Verona. Romeo Montague is sad and dreary, he has feelings of unrequited love for Rosaline. In order to somehow have some fun, Benvolio and Mercutio's friends persuade him to go secretly under masks to go with them to the Capulet's masquerade ball. As a result, Romeo is recognized, and he leaves the ball, but during this time he manages to see the owner's daughter, Juliet. They fall in love with each other at first sight, and alreadyonly later they find out that both belong to families that are mortal enemies.

And here, arguing on the topic: "Romeo: characterization of the hero", it should be noted that the young man turned out to be very brave and persistent. One night he comes under Juliet's balcony and confesses his love for her. Young lovers take an oath of love and fidelity and want to get married in secret. They entrust this business to the familiar monk Lorenzo. But then an unexpected event occurs: Romeo kills Tyb alt, Juliet's brother. Romeo is expelled from Verona.

Death of lovers

At this time, Juliet's parents are preparing her for the wedding with Paris. She is forced to ask for help from the monk Lorenzo, who offers her to drink a potion that will put her to sleep for two days so that everyone thinks she is dead. It all happened, but the news with the explanation that Juliet's death was imaginary did not reach Romeo.

Beside himself with grief, having learned about the death of his beloved, he returned to Verona and went to the Capulet crypt, where he met Paris and killed him. And after that he drank poison and died near Juliet. When she woke up, then, seeing the dead Romeo, she immediately killed herself with a dagger. After that, the Montagues and Capulet families stopped their senseless war, which led to the death of their beloved children.

Romeo: characteristics

At the very beginning of the work, the author draws his hero as a completely inexperienced young man who is completely absorbed by love, or rather, a far-fetched passion for Rosalind - impregnable and verycheeky beauty. Romeo understands his crazy behavior, but still, like a moth, flies to a fire. Friends do not approve of his choice, because they understand that his passion is artificial, he is bored with the reality around him, and he purposely invented all this for himself. His soul is still too pure and naive, and she can take her usual passion for true love. I must say that Romeo was an ardent dreamer, the characteristic of his nature suggests that he longs for love, but only in order to establish himself in it. He wants to become a winner over the indifferent and arrogant Rosalind. He thinks that this will help him raise his authority with his friends and grow in his own eyes.

Romeo and Juliet

When he sees sweet Juliet at the ball, all his false feelings are dispelled, he immediately forgets about Rosalind. Now his love is genuine, which regenerates and elevates him. Indeed, by nature, he is endowed with a tender and sensitive heart, which feels the approaching disaster, even before they decide to go on a holiday to the enemy house of Capulet. He tried to resist this, but it turned out to be useless for him to fight fate, since a strong passion still prevailed over Romeo. His characterization claims that he is quick-tempered and not ready to accept the circumstances. First, he kills Juliet's brother Tyb alt out of revenge for the murder of Mercutio's friend, and then he also kills the innocent Paris.

Conclusion

Shakespeare does not show himself as a moralist here, he does not do hisheroes positive or negative. Romeo's appearance does not particularly interest him. It shows the tragic path of everyone who cannot curb their destructive passions, which took power over such a bright, vulnerable and sublime soul as Romeo's.