First, a tragic hero is a character of noble birth. Romeo is from one of the "two households, both alike in dignity" in Verona that have even gained the attention of the Prince with their well-publicized feud. Both families are obviously very wealthy; the Capulets host an elaborate masquerade for what amounts to the entire upper crust of the city in the first act. Also, Juliet has been all but promised to Paris, who is a Count with wealth and land.
Next, fate will play a role in the tragic hero's circumstance, but so will free will. When Capulet sends out a servant with the party guest list, fate intervenes when he asks none else but Romeo to read it for him. This, of course, is how Romeo learns of the Capulet masquerade, where Rosaline will be. On the way, however, he has a premonition:
. . . my mind misgives / Some consequence yet hanging in the stars / Shall bitterly begin his fearful date / With this night's revels and expire the term / Of a despised life closed in my breast / By some vile forfeit of untimely death.
It is Romeo's choice that leads him to continue on to the feast despite his fears, and to his fated meeting with Juliet that leads to the fulfillment of his prophesy.
Of course, a tragic hero's most basic requirement is the exhibition of a tragic flaw. Romeo's most plot-driving flaw is his impulsiveness. He falls (out and) in love and is married in less than twenty-four hours. He refuses to defend himself against Tybalt and yet avenges Mercutio against Tybalt within minutes. Worst of all, when he is exiled, his impetuousness leads him to quickly agree to a plan that causes his own and Juliet's eventual suicide.
While not necessarily a characteristic of the tragic hero, catharsis is necessary to complete a tragic tale. The teens' death brings catharsis to Verona and to the audience; all are relieved that the feud is at an end and the senseless killings will end.
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