Violence And Conflict In William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare.

One of Shakespeare's most famous plays ' Romeo and Juliet' features ' two star crossed lovers’ from two feuding families who fall in love and their lives become intertwined with violence and conflict. These are the two most central themes of this famous play. Not only is the violence and conflict in physical form with actual bodily harm but also in the cleverly written and spoken language Shakespeare uses. There are also many sub plots in 'Romeo and Juliet' which involve many themes including love, betrayal and horror and the idea that women are subordinate. During the Elizabethan period, in which Romeo and Juliet is set women played to inferior role to men. They had no choice in who they married,
This links back to what he says in Act 1 Scene 4 when he talks about his dream and how fate had showed him things, showed him that he will die because his love and passion for Juliet has made him effeminate and weak and this will lead to his decline
'of a despised life clos'd in my breast by some vile forfeit of untimely death.'
This shows that he knows something bad is going to happen and it will not end with the death of Mercutio, this only adds to his dramatic emotional rollercoaster and the inner conflict within him.
In contrast to his previous anger and hurt before he killed Tybalt, Romeo is now in real despair at the end of Scene 1 as he realises the inevitable consequence of his actions as far as the Prince's decree is concerned. The Prince was told what had happened by Benvolio and Lady Capulet rightly said after she found that Tybalt was dead,
She is wrong though. Juliet is crying for Tybalt's death and the fact that Romeo has just left her and she is distressed.
Juliet's mother lets Juliet know that Romeo was the one who 'slaughtered him.' she then goes on to foul mouth Romeo calling him a 'villain and traitor' even stooping as low as to say that he was a 'runagate.' Continuing from her previous verbal attacks on Romeo Lady Capulet says that Juliet is not to worry because someone will be sent to Mantua to kill Romeo. They will kill him with poison in an 'unaccustomed dram' or an unusual drink which people know is poison. This is dramatic irony as in the end Romeo does die with poison but is by his own free will that he drinks is and it is not thrust upon him. This also links into the whole idea of fate or destiny, maybe now Lady Capulet has said this she has jinxed or cursed Romeo to this surprising death.
'Indeed, I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, 'till I behold him -