Romeo and Juliet Essay
How does William Shakespeare present violence and conflict in Romeo and Juliet and what does the audience learn from the consequences of the characters action?
In Romeo and Juliet the themes of conflict and violence are very important. The prologue, which acts as an overview of the play, highlights this. The lines “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny” and “where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” let us know that there is going to be violence and conflict throughout the play. The fact that this is said at the very start of the play is significant as it excites us, and will keep our attention throughout the play, as we’re waiting for the violence and conflict to start.
After the prologue, there are several types of conflict throughout the play, such as the conflict between the Capulets and Montegues and between Paris and Romeo.
Throughout this essay I will analyse characterisation, stagecraft, language and context when exploring the themes of the play and when considering what the audience learns as a result.
The use of language portrays the conflict between the two houses very well. For example, in act 1 scene 1, Sampson bites his thumb at Abram, and Abram says: “Do you bite your thumb at us sir?”, Sampson then replies with “No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at your sir, but I bite my thumb sir.” This shows conflict between the two houses, as biting your thumb was a very rude gesture at the time, and was illegal, which is why he denied doing so. His use of language made sure that he didn’t incriminate himself but still was able to cause offence to Abram.
During the play, Benvolio and Tybalt are two very different characters. The two characters names tell us a lot about how they act. Benvolio’s name is derived from the word benevolent, which indicates that he is a kind and caring character. Whereas Tybalt’s name uses harsh sounding plosives at the beginning and end of it, which suggests he will be harsher than Benvolio. Tybalt uses words such as “hate”,
In Romeo and Juliet the themes of conflict and violence are very important. The prologue, which acts as an overview of the play, highlights this. The lines “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny” and “where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” let us know that there is going to be violence and conflict throughout the play. The fact that this is said at the very start of the play is significant as it excites us, and will keep our attention throughout the play, as we’re waiting for the violence and conflict to start.
After the prologue, there are several types of conflict throughout the play, such as the conflict between the Capulets and Montegues and between Paris and Romeo.
Throughout this essay I will analyse characterisation, stagecraft, language and context when exploring the themes of the play and when considering what the audience learns as a result.
The use of language portrays the conflict between the two houses very well. For example, in act 1 scene 1, Sampson bites his thumb at Abram, and Abram says: “Do you bite your thumb at us sir?”, Sampson then replies with “No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at your sir, but I bite my thumb sir.” This shows conflict between the two houses, as biting your thumb was a very rude gesture at the time, and was illegal, which is why he denied doing so. His use of language made sure that he didn’t incriminate himself but still was able to cause offence to Abram.
During the play, Benvolio and Tybalt are two very different characters. The two characters names tell us a lot about how they act. Benvolio’s name is derived from the word benevolent, which indicates that he is a kind and caring character. Whereas Tybalt’s name uses harsh sounding plosives at the beginning and end of it, which suggests he will be harsher than Benvolio. Tybalt uses words such as “hate”,