Violence and Conflict in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Violence and Conflict in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

“Romeo and Juliet” is a large tragic play, which is about two feuding

families the Montagues and the Capulets of Verona. Although it is a

play about love, there are many scenes that contain violence and

conflict. The play opens with a conflict between the Capulet and

Montague households who become involved in arguments in a public place

in Verona, they lose their tempers and swords are drawn. The play ends

with two innocent people dieing to do with the two feuding families.

The violence in the play happens because of an ancient feud between

the Montagues and the Capulets, which leads to the tragic deaths of

Romeo and Juliet. The play is still relevant today because there still

are families who don’t want their sixteen year-old daughters to go out

with a thirty five year-old men, also some people don’t want their

children marrying different religions other than their own i.e.

Protestants and Catholics.

In this essay I will discuss Act 1 Scene 1, Act 3 Scene 1, Act 3 Scene

5 and Act 5 Scene 3.

“Romeo and Juliet” was written by William Shakespeare and first

performed in 1597. It is set in the 16th Century. When Shakespeare

wrote the play Elizabeth 1st ruled England. She loved the theatre.

People in the 16th Century were fond of any sort of entertainment.

They liked watching death and brevity of life. Yet death and violence

also fascinated many Elizabethans. Shakespeare’s plays reflect

optimism and pessimism in the Elizabethan age. Shakespeare’s plays and

poems all show signs of confused gloomy and weird social attitudes of

the time. It was important for Shakespear...

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...beauty makes this vault a fearing pressure full of

light”.

I would have Juliet dressed in her wedding dress as I think a women

should be buried in a fashionable outfit. I would use soft vibrant

music to create atmosphere after all it is a church. I would make her

dress white to suggest purity I would also make it effective for the

audience by burying Romeo and Juliet together side by side after a

short life.

To conclude I think this play has violence and love as from the film I

remember the love the most especially Romeo saying “there’s much to do

with hate, but more with love”! It has violent issues as well, the

deaths of two innocent people, Romeo and Juliet. My favourite scene is

Act 5 Scene 3 because the death of the two people is really sad and it

leaves you with a passion to read another Shakespeare play.