How is Romeo a Tragic Hero? Analysis Activity

Activity Overview

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. It is beneficial for students to understand why is considered so important. One reason is that it contains a tragic hero. This is a protagonist, typically of noble birth, destined for doom. In this play, Romeo clearly fits this description. The famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle, was the first to record the principle attributes of a tragic hero.

ATTRIBUTE	DESCRIPTION	Example from Romeo and Juliet
Hamartia	Flaw in the Character	Romeo's flaw is his impulsive nature. He quickly falls in love and gets in fights.
Hubris	Excessive Pride	In his pride, Romeo forces Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet.
Peripeteia	Reversal of Fortune	Romeo kills Tybalt, and is banished from Verona.
Anagnorisis	A Moment of Critical Discovery	"Romeo, I just heard that Juliet of Verona is dead!"
Nemesis	Fate that Cannot be Avoided	The false poison that causes Juliet to appear dead, and the real poison that Romeo drinks to kill himself.
Catharsis	Audience's Feeling of Pity or Fear After the Hero's Fall	The lovers' deaths end the fighting. The families reconcile to the loss of those they love.

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Template and Class Instructions

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Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that shows how Romeo can be considered a tragic hero.

Click "Start Assignment".
Identify events of the play or characteristics of Romeo that fit into Aristotelian attributes of a tragic hero.
Illustrate examples for Hamartia, Hubris, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, Nemesis, and Catharsis.
Write a short description below each cell that specifically relates Romeo as a tragic hero.

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Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-10

Difficulty Level 4 (Difficult / Complex)

Type of Assignment Individual or Group

Type of Activity: Tragic Hero

Common Core Standards

[ELA-Literacy/RL/9-10/2] Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text
[ELA-Literacy/RL/9-10/3] Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme
[ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/1] Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence

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Rubric

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Tragic Hero Rubric Template

Create a storyboard that shows how the protagonist can be considered a tragic hero using Aristotle's Characteristics

	Proficient	Emerging	Beginning	Needs Improvement
Tragic Hero Characteristics	The six tragic hero characteristics are correctly identified and portrayed from the story. The explanation provided explains how the scenes depict each characteristic, and shows effective analysis.	Four or five tragic hero characteristics are correctly identified and portrayed from the story, or some of the elements may not be identified correctly. The explanations give context to the scene, but may be minimal, and there is some attempt at analysis.	Two or three tragic hero characteristics are correctly identified and portrayed from the story, or most of the elements are inaccurately depicted. The quotes and/or explanations are too minimal.	One or fewer tragic hero characteristics are correctly identified and portrayed from the story, or most of the elements are inaccurately depicted. The quotes and/or explanations are minimal or missing altogether.
Artistic Depictions	The art chosen to depict the scenes are accurate to the work of literature. Time and care is taken to ensure that the scenes are neat, eye-catching, and creative.	The art chosen to depict the scenes should be accurate, but there may be some liberties taken that distract from the assignment. Scene constructions are neat, and meet basic expectations.	The art chosen to depict the scenes is inappropriate. Scene constructions are messy and may create some confusion.	The art chosen to depict the scenes is too limited or incomplete.
English Conventions	Ideas are organized. There are few or no grammatical, mechanical, or spelling errors.	Ideas are mostly organized. There are some grammatical, mechanical, or spelling errors.	Ideas may be disorganized or misplaced. Lack of control over grammar, mechanics, and spelling reflect a lack of proofreading.	Storyboard text is difficult to understand.