Preview

Violence in Romeo and Juliet

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
495 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Violence in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet, by Shakespeare, is a play which shows how prejudice leads to escalating violence. Prejudice leads to violence shown in the play when the feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets, fight. In each case, disruption, fighting, injuries and death occur. Also, the prejudice between the two families never was resolved, because they were enemies.

The feuding started in Act 1 Scene 1, when the Capulets and Montague servants confronted each other. The Capulets' servants insult the Montagues and this leads to a street brawl of the two families. Furthermore, in Act 3 Scene 1, the hatred between the families gets worse. When Tybalt wanted revenge against the Montagues, he then confronted Romeo and Mercutio and started a duel. In addition, the feud between the families got even worse, when Tybalt killed Mercutio. Also, in Act 5 Scene 3, Tybalt challenges Romeo to fight and Romeo kills him.

The street in Verona, a public place, is where the feuding starts between the two families. In Act 1 Scene 1, Sampson and Gregory, servants for the Capulets, insulted the Montagues' servants, Balthasar and Abraham. This leads to a fight, which involves the Lords of both families and the Prince. No death occurred, but the families' attitudes against each other were worse than before. This created hate between the families, which lead to violence. In like manner, another duel between the two feuding families starts up, again, in the street of Verona in Act 3 Scene 1. When Mercutio and Benvolio, friends of Romeo, are confronted by Tybalt, who still hates the Montagues. Tybalt thinks that they crashed the Capulets' ball and he wants revenge. Mercutio and Tybalt fight each other. Now, Romeo arrives trying to stop the argument. Tybalt draws his sword and challenges Romeo. Romeo refuses to fight and Mercutio steps in to meet Tybalt's challenges. Romeo again, tries to stop the fighting, but Tybalt stabs Mercutio under Romeo's arm. Mercutio dies from his injury and this

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues leads to envy and many secrets. Romeo and Juliet see each other in secrecy without the families knowing of their relationship. The discrimination between the houses, and the lack of hope between the fake lovers caused confusion between Romeo and Juliet. The decisions to commit suicide by Romeo and Juliet were fueled by anger, lust, and haste.…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In this scene Mercutio gets killed tempting Romeo to kill Tybalt which gets Romeo banished. But in this scene the feud is actually strengthened, this is because the scene just made the two families hate each other more. In the text Lady Capulet said “Of my dear kinsman! Prince, as thou art true, For blood of ours shed blood of Montague” (III.i 111-112). Lady Capulet is specifically asking the prince to kill one of the Montagues.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    For centuries, the Capulets and the Montagues had loathe each other. These two families hated one another for so long that they don’t remember why and who started it, but they continue to carry on this conflict till modern day. In “Romeo and Juliet,” the ancient grudge has erupted into a new violence which has later cause several deaths between the two families. However, Tybalt has pride and honors it making his hatred for the Montagues strong. The family’s rivalry has effected Tybalt because he wants to fight a Montague every time he came across one which could lead to his sudden death.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    First, if they did not have a feud Tybalt would have never challenged Romeo to a duel. It was the feud that made Tybalt hate the Montagues. He thought that because Romeo was a Montague he should have never went to the party and it made him angry that he did. Next, Juliet’s family hated Romeo more after he killed Tybalt. Romeo did not have a chance at seeing Juliet, if her family saw him they wanted him dead because they thought the banishment was not enough of a punishment for killing Tybalt. Lastley, Lady Capulet said “For blood of ours shed blood of Montague,” when she learned Romeo killed Tybalt. They wanted Romeo dead after they heard he killed Tybalt. Juliet could not let her family know that she just married Romeo because they would never approve and they could not see each other. Since they couldn’t see each other Juliet made a plan for them to escape together but it failed and Romeo ended up killing himself before she woke up and then she killed herself. They could not see each other because of the long lasting feud and because of that Romeo and Juliet ended up both committing…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    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.…

    • 2885 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Servants of the two families have just been arguing in the street and are about to brawl when they are spotted by Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin and our friend." Said the narrator ( page 2). The family feud is to blame for Juliet and Romeo deaths. Romeo and Juliet have to keep it secret, that they dating, so there parent don't find out. They end up running away together and they do get secretly married. Instead they end up in the tomb together. In the beginning Tybalt and Mercutio are the ones who started the fight in the beginning of the story when they were at the party.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Flaws In Romeo And Juliet

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Romeo and Juliet, a long feud between the Montague and Capulet families disrupts the city of Verona and…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    These deaths that occur appear in, and greatly impact, both the Montague and Capulet families. When Romeo first appears at the Capulet party, Tybalt instantaneously notices him, and becomes quite angry. Tybalt runs to Lord Capulet, to see he can be granted to permission to remove of Romeo. Lord Capulet responds surprisingly well to the news of Romeo arriving at the party. “Content thee gentle coz. Let him alone.” States Capulet in act 1 scene 5. However, Tybalt has a different opinion on what should happen to Romeo. Because of Tybalt’s differing opinion, he later, in act 3 scene 1, finds Romeo and proceeds to throw insults around. Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend, becomes angry at Tybalt for insulting his best friend, and decides to fight with Tybalt. Romeo disagrees with this decision and tries to break up the fight. Mercutio ends up being stabbed by Tybalt, and then out of anger Romeo kills Tybalt. Because all of these characters had differing opinions, lives were lost, leaving long lasting effects on both…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ‘Romeo and Juliet’ clearly shows the potential that hate can cause. From the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, there is evident haste between the Capulets and Montagues. ‘From ancient grudge break to new munity, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. The Capulets and Montagues have…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rome and Juliet

    • 3667 Words
    • 15 Pages

    In any play by the well-known William Shakespeare, there is bound to be plenty of meat on the bone in regards to the script. Underneath the concrete elements of character, plot and theme there are very complex and unique ideas and images. Throughout one of Shakespeare's more established plays, Romeo and Juliet, many images are evoked through the playwright's mastery--one of the key ones being the violence that envelopes the world of Verona. Shakespeare produces fantastic visions of violence in the world, through what happens in the play. A few main violent images brought about by the work is that it is unfair, universal, and overpowering, yet it also ultimately serves as a sense of hope and rebirth.…

    • 3667 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Tybalt death news article

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Tragedy struck Verona today as a brawl between Tybalt Montague and Mercutio (friend of the Capulets) cost them their lives. Romeo Montague is to blame for the tragic deaths of these two men. Prince Esculas stated that his punishment is to be exile from Verona forever.…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Capulets and the Montagues are important families who have had an ongoing dispute for years. When a street fight starts in the streets of Verona, citizens of the city decide that anyone who disrupts the piece should be given the worst of punishments.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play “Romeo and Juliet” written by William Shakespeare is full of gang affiliation, representation, violence, and feuding. The whole play is based on two families, the Montagues and Capulets, the feuding sides are far too much alike to some real feuding gangs and feuding families. First, gang affiliation, everyone is on a side in this play, for example, the character Mercutio is not blood related to either family, but he is considered a Montague because he has sided with them, and has made it clear that he is against the Capulets.…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During Act III, Scene i, Romeo, Benvolio, Tybalt, and Mercutio get into a huge sword fight. Tybalt begins to go head to head to head against Mercutio and Romeo. Finally, Tybalt lunges forward at Romeo to kill him. However, he missed and stabbed Mercutio right through his side. Mercutio falls to the ground crying out, “ A plague o'both your houses.” Tybalt fled the scene of the murder, leaving Romeo and Benvolio at Mercutio's side. Mercutio's death pained many, especially Romeo. With rage, Romeo stormed the streets of Verona, Italy, looking for revenge against Tybalt. The two fought in the streets with a huge crowd around, until…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hatred is a main factor between the Montagues and the Capulets. It threathens to destroy the social stability of Verona.…

    • 704 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays