Preview

This essay compares two conflicts in Romeo and Juliet, the Conflict between the Families and the conflict between Youth and Age, and which one is more important.

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2885 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
This essay compares two conflicts in Romeo and Juliet, the Conflict between the Families and the conflict between Youth and Age, and which one is more important.
Romeo and Juliet, a tragic play written by one of the most famous English writers, Shakespeare, in 1601, is one filled with many conflicts, even starting from the story's background. "From ancient grudge break to new mutiny" (Act I, Sc. 1). Conflicts, more often than not, end in tragedies. Romeo and Juliet having many conflicts, has also ended in a terrible tragedy, the death of the lovers. "... a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life..." (Act. I, Sc. I). Even before the play has begun, the prologue expresses one of the conflicts, between the two head families of Verona, the Capulets and Montagues. "Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona (...) where civil blood makes civil hands unclean..." (Act I, Sc. I). Other conflicts which arise throughout the play include: status and love, peace and war, love and hate, amongst others. The two conflicts which seem to be prominent are the conflict between the families, and the conflict between youth and age. Although the discord between the families is more evident in the play, the tension between youth and age exists. However, the conflict between the families seems have more importance in the play. As the two conflicts, between the families, and between youth and age, become visible, and their results are more apparent, the greater importance of the variance between the families will be distinguished.

The most perceptible of conflicts is the one between the families. This hatred of the families, can be seen since the very beginning of the play. The prince is enraged at the disturbance of peace which was caused because of the families' enmity. "Throw your distempered weapons to the ground, and hear the sentence of your movèd prince" (Act. I Sc. I). The Capulets and Montagues dislike each other so much that when Romeo asks the servant who the host is, the servant tells him, and asks him to join the party, only if he is not a Montague. All Montagues were not welcome at all to the party, which the whole city

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Shakespeare wrote the play of two lovers', Romeo and Juliet. Thought to be, one of the greatest, tragic love stories of all time, however, throughout the play, Shakespeare contrasts love with hate at every possible moment. The two themes, love and hate, are like twins separated at birth, brought up in different backgrounds, a totally different society. Combining these two themes, creates curiosity into how 'a pair of star crossed lovers' and an ancient feud of two rivalry family's, can come to together to present, a great and unforgettable love, with fate bringing them to their death.…

    • 1405 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The street in Verona, a public place, is where the prejudice starts between the two families. In Act one Scene one, Sampson and Gregory servants for the Capulets, insulted the Montagues servants Balthasar and Abraham by biting his thumb at him. This leads to a fight, which involves the Lord's of both families and the Prince. No death occurred, but the families attitudes against each other were worse then before. Which caused a lot of prejudice against the families that lead to violence.…

    • 536 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Romeo and Juliet is a tragic play, which embodies the true spirit of love and destiny. The play shows fate, premonition, violence and vengeance while two lovers pine for each other. It shows how love can be over powering which would supersede all other values and loyalties. Lovers are forced to dissent their entire social world, e.g. when Romeo leaves his friends to see Juliet and when Juliet says that she may no longer be a Capulet. It highlights how some traditional families can enforce their traditions on their children, as the future develops so does the minds of young people, they feel more entitled to their own opinion and this could however get in the way of the family’s claim and create difficulties between parents and children [parents not understanding and children disobeying]. This play also highlights how women are portrayed to not be equal -Juliet being dominated and controlled by her possessive father, and when Mrs Capulet agrees to what ever Mr Capulet says.…

    • 2035 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    of Romeo and Juliet the two families the started fight cause of one the family…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the best plays in history. The two household, Montague and Capulet has been in a long feud with each other in the city of Verona. Romeo, a Montague and Juliet, a Capulet are two lovers who meets at a party and faces obstacles to be with each other despite the history of their family. At the end, the lovers chooses to kill themselves for each other’s deaths. Fate is to blame the lovers’ deaths because fates power is uncontrollable and already determined while the characters trip over the obstacles.…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s eminent play, Romeo and Juliet is a classic love story. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet are two young kids who fall in love. Their families have an on-going feud and cannot stand each other. The two star-crossed lovers rush to their marriage and end this family feud through an unexpected turn of events. Shakespeare writes this novel to criticize and exaggerate young love. In the novel, Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, young love is made to seem impulsive through how rapidly the two characters manage to “fall in love”, the roles in which each gender takes, and the brevity of the play entirely.…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is the story of two "star-crossed lovers who take their life". Their families, Capulet and Montague, are at a great, ancient feud; however Romeo and Juliet fall passionately in love ignoring the fact that they are, by household, enemies. The play was written in 1595, for an Elizabethan audience, and was performed at the Globe Theatre. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy; Italy being a common setting for plays around the time for the great interest in Italian culture and an art movement known as the Renaissance. A strong factor of the play is fate and whether or not it causes an impact on the character’s lives. Many critics were confused as to what the moral of the play was, and debated on whether Shakespeare was putting a point across about how injudicious behaviour can result in your downfall; or whether fate will choose the path to lead despite whatever you may do to stop it. This is left to the audience to interpret for themselves.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s master piece “Romeo and Juliet” is both relevant and irrelevant to today’s modern audiences. The values, morals and beliefs of society have greatly changed in the past centuries. Although many changes have been made the study of Shakespeare and all of his plays are still appreciated and heavily used today. There are also many people who can relate to the power of love and violence that is expressed by the two young lovers. The use of Shakespeare’s many themes has also helped to shape the play and give a deeper meaning to the story line.…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet is a play motivated by conflict and conflict means a struggle between to or more things .Although the conflict between the two houses Montuque and Captulet act 3 scene 5 concentrates on the inner conflict between “lord” Capulet and his daughter Juliet.…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Conflict exists at all levels of society in all sorts of situations. We experience conflict every day in our lives. A conflict starts due to people not agreeing with an issue. It is a state of opposition used in good dramas e.g. Man verses Man or Man vs. Himself. It is important to have conflict in a drama to make it interesting and engaging for the audience to wonder what will happen next. The play Romeo and Juliet is about two families Montague’s and Capulet’s who are hostile to each other, but their children fall in love, Romeo and Juliet, who are constantly interrupted by and entwined with conflict. It is set in five days from Romeo Juliet meeting to them dying. The speed continuously keeps the audience involved in the play. Shakespeare uses allot of opposites to show conflict e.g. prejudice, fate, free will, love and hate. Romeo and Juliet is the story written, with allot of conflict, this is shown throughout the play with a tragic ending. The main conflict is family conflict, the disagreement in the two families. There are many other conflicts in this play such as, society conflicts and generation conflicts. This “ancient grudge” between the two families has been going on for years. When lady Capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris but Juliet wants to marry Romeo there appears to be a conflict between them.…

    • 1990 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    'Romeo and Juliet' is one of Shakespeare's most famous and popular plays. It tells the story of 'two starcross'd lovers' and addresses such themes as Romance but also tragedy. However it also contains themes of violence/conflict/death. The play begins with a prologue which is kind of a summary of the play but doesn't give all the details of the play away to the audience as it includes the setting of the play and a bit of background information. Then a fued is introduced straight away between the younger generation of the two rival families which are the Montague's and the Capulet's. I am going to examine the theme of conflict in Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 3 Scene 5.…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In Romeo and Juliet the main conflict revolves around the Capulet’s and the Montague’s old feud. This then creates tension throughout the play because this old feud branches out into a lot of conflict between individual people.…

    • 1787 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    This hatred or conflict between the families is so great that everyone except the people in the house of Montagues is invited to join the party that the Capulets are having:…

    • 4908 Words
    • 31 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Forbidden love, when society prohibits two people from being together, is the principal conflict in the play Romeo and Juliet. Montague, family of Romeo, and Capulet, family of Juliet, are only surnames but serve as the reason Romeo and Juliet can not be together. The Montagues and Capulets had an ancient grudge, a feud that had gone back through generations and claimed many lives. A feud so long they do not even remember why they hate each other. The opening scene to the play was an altercation on the streets of Verona between the two adversary families "two households, both alike in dignity" (prologue.1). The prince of Verona, Escales, stopped the brawl by saying, "Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word, By thee, old Capulet and Montague; If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace." (1.1.83-84, 90-91), the Montague and Capulets have caused 3 unnecessary public fights and the next person to create a disturbance will be executed. Romeo had been whining and weeping about how Rosaline is the definition of perfect and how she has left him brokenhearted. However, in act 1 scene 2 Capulet sends his servant out with a list of people invited to the masquerade ball. The illiterate servant trotted around the streets looking for someone to read the…

    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is overviewed by the theme of conflict as it is explored within and between the families. Soliloquy, Character foil and Hyperbole are also used to create meaningful conflict and atmosphere between the characters, which defines the conflict that surrounds them.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays