Romeo and Juliet Revenge and Violience Now and Then
Revenge and Violence Then and now
"There are four basic human needs; food, sleep, sex and revenge." — Banksy
Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet is set in a time when revenge and violence were very common. We live today in what some would say, are very violent times. The reasons that people seek revenge and why they commit violence has not changed a lot in 500 years. Some reasons why people commit violence is for superiority, injustice, vulnerability, distrust and hopelessness. A good example of violence and revenge is in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet - Scene I.ii 40 – 74 when Sampson and Gregory of the House of Capulet are walking down the street when they are insulted by Balthasar and Abraham of the House of Montague after Balthasar bites his thumb at them. This starts a fight that the Prince and the Lords of the Capulets and the Montagues get involved in. No one is killed but the attitude towards each other is much worse than before. In Romeo and Juliet’s time, biting of the thumb is a gesture that could provoke violence. Today gesturing with the wrong finger could be enough to provoke violence among rivals. The reason for the reaction between the two groups was a long standing feud. It’s never really clear why the two families are feuding whether it was over power or money. It was clear that they each distrusted each other and felt superior to each other. Each act of violence led to revenge. Much like Capulets and the Montagues, the Melvin and the Marriot families of Halifax have been involved in a family feud for decades. As with the family feud in Romeo and Juliet, the reason why the Melvin and Marriot feud started is unclear, but drugs, money, power played a role. This has resulted in continuous violence since 1988. . Just like in the play, the families continue to hate each other. They commit violent acts and then try to get revenge any way they can. Once again the cycle of violence and revenge continues.
Another violent scene
"There are four basic human needs; food, sleep, sex and revenge." — Banksy
Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet is set in a time when revenge and violence were very common. We live today in what some would say, are very violent times. The reasons that people seek revenge and why they commit violence has not changed a lot in 500 years. Some reasons why people commit violence is for superiority, injustice, vulnerability, distrust and hopelessness. A good example of violence and revenge is in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet - Scene I.ii 40 – 74 when Sampson and Gregory of the House of Capulet are walking down the street when they are insulted by Balthasar and Abraham of the House of Montague after Balthasar bites his thumb at them. This starts a fight that the Prince and the Lords of the Capulets and the Montagues get involved in. No one is killed but the attitude towards each other is much worse than before. In Romeo and Juliet’s time, biting of the thumb is a gesture that could provoke violence. Today gesturing with the wrong finger could be enough to provoke violence among rivals. The reason for the reaction between the two groups was a long standing feud. It’s never really clear why the two families are feuding whether it was over power or money. It was clear that they each distrusted each other and felt superior to each other. Each act of violence led to revenge. Much like Capulets and the Montagues, the Melvin and the Marriot families of Halifax have been involved in a family feud for decades. As with the family feud in Romeo and Juliet, the reason why the Melvin and Marriot feud started is unclear, but drugs, money, power played a role. This has resulted in continuous violence since 1988. . Just like in the play, the families continue to hate each other. They commit violent acts and then try to get revenge any way they can. Once again the cycle of violence and revenge continues.
Another violent scene