Conflict ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Essay

How important is the bag of skirmish in the play Romeo and Juliet?Shakespeares play, Romeo and Juliet, is the most famous neck story in English literature. However love isnt the tho theme that runs through the play. Shakespeare makes this typical love story more collision when he pits the romance in the context of family feuds, fights and deaths. The issue of mesh is as central to this play as the issues of love/ notice/betrayal and death. It should devolve as no surprise that Shakespeare would include participations in this play as otherwise the play would simply be a dull parameter on teenage love. Adding the conflicts highlights the tensions that the teenagers feel betwixt their attachwork forcets to their own families and each other. Also, adding the conflict is important for dramatic effect. We see this clearly in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet save in addition see it in many modern conventions of storytelling, such as film.The film Slumdog Millionaire is another ex ample of two star-crossed lovers struggling to be together against their familys wishes. The conflict in the film is between brothers, but also with others outside the characters immediate families. The dramatic effect of the conflict has the consultation on the edge of their seat, forgeting the pair to escape their terrible break downs of abuse and make up happily ever after. Slumdog is Romeo and Juliet for the 21st Century.As in Shakespeares play, in Slumdog the earreach are told what testament happen in the story by focussing of a prologue The prologue in Romeo and Juliet tells the hearing the story and the ending (the two lovers will mend their family feuds by taking their own lives)From forth the fatal pubes of these two foes. A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. .The prologue is an unusual storytelling device as it reveals the end of the story at the beginning. But it also draws the audience is to crawl in why the lovers take their own lives and the audien ce system shocked by that event, de go against be warned about it. In Bas Learhmanns film the audience is surprised when Juliet wakes from her sleep to find Romeo lying dead next to her. Her answer of killing herself is a shocking ending to the film (play) despite the audience k at a timeing what is coming. In Shakespeares prologue theChorus describes two noble households in the city of Verona. The houses hold an ancient grudge against each other that remains a source of violent and bloody conflict.The audience are told that the families live in Fair Verona and who the main characters in the play are. So inwardly a few minutes of the play commencing the audience (reader) is primed with comely information to generate an interest to read on. The first scene comes this instant after the prologue and Shakespeare commences the scene with two Capulet servants (Sampson and Gregory) who talk about the conflict between the two familys. It is interesting that even though they are servan ts (Slaves) they say that the familys feud is their feud The quarrel is between our masters and us their menIt is important to remember that the play is written at a fourth dimension when servants were obliged to honour their masters, and that included laying down their life for their betters. The dance step of the conversation between the two servants replicates the conflict that we hear about in the prologue. Shakespeare has established a thread for the reader to follow present. The violence of the conflict is clear when the two servants talk of what they will do to the Montague women once they obliterate the Montague men. Brutalising the women of a defeated foe is something that has happened throughout history. True and therefore women, being the weaker vessels,are ever thrust to the wall therefore I will pushMontagues men from the wall, and thrust his maidsto the wallThe public do started by Tybalt is joined by members of both families, including the Montague and Capulet f athers. Seeing old enemy (Montague) Capulet says to his wife My sword, I say Old Montague is come,And flourishes his blade in spite of me.The street fighting and hatred between the Capulets and Montagues is only one form of conflict in Shakespeares play. Shakespeares writing about conflict extends to Juliets family too. In Act 3 Scene 5 Juliet is toldby her mother that she will marry. Juliets unhappiness at this arranged jointure (she is told to report to the church on Thursday) leads to a conflict with her father who calls her a young baggage and disobedient wench. The family conflict repeats one go about by some young women whose husbands are chosen for them. This cultural pledge is also made clear by Juliets mother when she says to Juliet that by the age of 14 (Juliets age at the succession of the play) she was already pregnant with Juliet. The tradition of marrying girls off young, and to wealthy older men, has largely been bastinado in some communities, however, in others it still creates tension. Sometimes with tragic outcomes.The theme of conflict is important in this play because it reflects the type of social conditions that existed at the time that Shakespeare wrote his play. It is interesting that although our social conditions have changed, the underlying themes and circumstances here could apply to our society today. Young, violent, men fighting over territory/honour and (like Tybalt) being killed in the crossfire. Shakespeares decision to talk about the injustice of Juliets fathers insistence that she marry, may be a brave attempt to raise the issue of forced marriage. But, alternatively, it could also be seen as a source of gaiety and merriment for the Shakespearean audience. despite some really difficult language, Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet is a play that transcends time in terms of its underlying themes. This makes the play as relevant now as it was when it was first played.