Importance Of Romeo And Juliet Conflict Essay

Conflict is essential to the success of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. In the play, Romeo and Juliet are from two powerful families, the Capulets and the Montagues, which are rivals of each other. Romeo and Juliet fall in love, despite this, complicating the families rivalry as they attempt to be together despite their heritage. Conflict leads to more conflict, revealing the personalities and true intentions of characters in the play, unfolding the plot, and causing unforeseen consequences.

The ancient discord between the Montagues and the Capulets is the foundation for all conflict in the play. This conflict is necessary for character development, to show their true personality and to advance the plot. Characters from both families

Juliet’s parents want her to be married off to Paris, who she has no interest in. However, wishing to please her parents, she considers the option, saying "I'll look to like, if looking liking move....". However, after meeting Romeo, she no longer obeys her parents, and refuses to marry Paris. The death of Tybalt pushes Lord Capulet to marry Juliet to Paris in hopes that it will make her stop grieving for her cousin. When Juliet refuses for no apparent reason, he loses his temper. He threatens to disown and throw Juliet out on the streets, insulting and threatening her by saying “Out, you green-sickness carrion! Out, you baggage! You tallow-face!”. This is essential to the success of the text because the conflict within the Capulet family is what drives Juliet to seek desperate measures, going to Friar Lawrence, who gives her the potion to fake her death. Some misfortune while using it leads to the death of Paris, Romeo, and

Shortly after she discovers that Romeo is a Montague, and an enemy to her family, she becomes torn between her love for Romeo and her loyalty to her family. She says, “My only love sprung from my only hate, too early seen unknown and known too late”. When Juliet is informed by the nurse that her cousin, Tybalt has been killed by Romeo, she has an inner conflict, finding it difficult to believe that her love has killed her cousin, but feeling as if she must still support Romeo, for they are married. She ends up siding with Romeo, and refuses her father’s requests for her to marry Paris. Her father is angered, as she gives no apparent reason for not wanting to marry. She initially turns to her mother for help, and failing that, her Nurse. After they offer her no support, she turns to Friar Laurence, panicked. She desperately attempts to convince the Friar to help her, threatening to kill herself if he cannot give her a solution. Juliet’s constant thoughts on being torn between herself, her family, and Romeo lead to Act IV, Scene 3, in her bedchamber, struggling to decide whether to take the potion the Friar has given her. She is worried about many things, wondering if the potion will work at all, saying “What if this mixture do not work at all?”. She wonders if the potion is in fact poison, and the Friar secretly wants her dead “What if it be a poison, which the friar Subtly hath