Love and Loyalty in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Love and Loyalty in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

In the play Romeo and Juliet (by William Shakespeare), I will be

staging the fifth Scene of Act 1. Arguably, this scene is the most

crucial point in the play, as this is where they both meet, and their

love and loyalties divide between them and their families. This scene

displays how the love of both Romeo and Juliet from different parties

confronts divided loyalties for them, as they either have to be loyal

to their families or to each other, but not both as the two loyalties

are in direct conflict with each other, being from each others enemy's

party.

They display they love and are loyalty to each other by what is said,

'My only love sprung from my only hate', this was said by Juliet after

finding out that Romeo was a Montague (divided loyalties). 'To smooth

that rough touch with a tender kiss' implies that Romeo has fallen in

love with Juliet also. In the scene that I have chosen, many types of

loyalties begin to reveal, e.g. blinded loyalty, divided loyalties,

loyal to love etc.

This scene will be staged in 1920's New York, America. The two parties

will be gangs, one American, and the other immigrants from Italy. The

American gang (Sharkies) will dislike the Italian gang (Stingers), the

reason for the dislike is for the fact that America was an intolerant

and racist country at the time. An American boy will fall in love with

an Italian girl and vice versa. This is where the divided loyalties

will come into it as they will both be falling in love with the enemy

of their group (just as in Romeo and Juliet).

I will start off by giving you a brief introduction to t...

... middle of paper ...

...e of their love and loyalty at this crucial point.

Tybalt (Capulet) hears Romeo's voice and recognises it immediately, he

is angered and tries to start a fight but told not to by Capulet

himself. Tybalt expresses blinded loyalty but never the less loyalty

as he wants to chuck Romeo out, being the enemy, as he sees it as an

insult 'gate crashing' the party. He displays when he tells Capulet

'It fits when such a villain is a guest: I'll not endure him.' Capulet

tells him not to, he does this out of fear of the prince carrying out

the threat he made and also out of loyalty as the prince has a lot of

control. During the party, the lights will be dim, and dance music

will be played. This scene will be very lively in the scene there will

be a crowd, and lots of things going on, apart from when Romeo and

Juliet are talking.