Conflict in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Conflict in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Conflict is important in all good drama, old and new e.g. Eastenders.

If a drama didn’t have conflict it would haft to be boring,

uninteresting and virtually pointless. Conflict adds tension, sad or

happy moments. It also leaves the audience interested and wondering

what will happen next.

In Romeo and Juliet conflict is the back-bone of the story, and is an

‘ancient grudge’ between the two families, the Capulet’s and the

Montague’s.

There are many different types of conflict and several of these are in

Romeo and Juliet.

I have looked at the prologue, Act One Scene One, and Act Three Scene

One in order to say how important the theme of the conflict is in the

play. The story is built on conflict and with out the three scenes

there wouldn’t be a story.

The prologue gets the audience ready for a tale full of conflict and

disputes.

The prologue tells you about the parent’s conflict and how the

children ‘a pair of star crossed lovers take their life’. This also

tells you that the feud and conflict is between the Montague’s and the

Capulet’s.

The prologue sounds serious and the words that are used also adds to

the tension a lot. I think this is what gets the audience into the

conflict in the story. In the modern film the music also adds a lot of

seriousness and tension into the atmosphere of the story. In the

prologue it tells us not to fight or quarrel for the sake of our

children’s lives ‘…continuance of their parents rage, which but their

children’s end naught could remove’.

In Romeo and Juliet it’s normal to carry swords and a dagger, just in

case you co...

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... go to the Montague’s party, which he was talked into anyway.

In act three scene five, Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet arranges a

wedding for Juliet and County Paris, which results in Juliet and the

Friar planning Juliet’s counterfeit death which Romeo’s friend thinks

she is really dead. This then results in his friend telling Romeo that

Juliet is truly dead. The Friar planned to notify Romeo by letter, but

it was delayed. He kills himself and because Juliet saw Romeo die, she

killed herself as well.

As you can see, each scene is imperative to Romeo and Juliet’s death

and could also be easily avoided.

From the start of the play, we know that Romeo and Juliet are destined

to die, because of the prologue. Each tragedy helps this to happen.

Without one of them, or a slight change, they both would still be

alive.