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Familial Obligation In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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Throughout the passage of time, standards for familial relationships have adapted and changed as the surrounding society changes. That being said, the contrasting families in "Romeo and Juliet" play a major role in the decisions and perceptions of the main characters. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the themes of loyalty and obligation to family not only shed light on the familial roles and their positions in a hierarchy in the past, but also remain relevant in today’s society as evidenced by contemporary examples of things such as religious beliefs and societal pressures.

One major aspect that influenced the decisions and affected the overall plot of the play was the familial roles that were a dominating force in the lives …show more content…

Many contemporary instances of familial obligation can be seen throughout this story; but to be specific, examples of this using the church as well as societal pressures are not limited. For instance, Line 70-72 of Act 1 Scene 1 states, " 'What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montages, and thee. Have at thee, coward!' " Moreover, the purpose of Tybalt saying this is to highlight his hatred toward these specific things. But the reason he hates these things so much is due to his obligation toward his family and their values, not to mention the social pressures he faces. He also subtly mentions his religious faith by saying he hates hell. Likewise, another quote which underlines this sort of family commitment is when Tybalt sees Romeo at Lord Capulet's party and seeks to get rid of Romeo because of family values. The text mentions, " 'Uncle, this is a Montague, our foe, a villain, that is hither come in spite to scorn at our solemnity this night.' " (1.5.63). Furthermore, this means that Tybalt is so blinded by his responsibility to uphold his family's values that he would go as far to fight Romeo right in the middle of the party. This simply re-affirms what has been mentioned earlier, and proves that the main idea of this story is the character's obligation to their own

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Later in the play Tybalt's recklessness reaches its peak when he challenges Romeo to a fight on the streets of Verona. Romeo, who has just married Juliet, is refusing to fight and tries to de-escalate the situation by saying, "I do protest I never injured thee, But love thee better than thou canst devise, Till thou shalt know the reason of my love" (Rom 3.1.64-66). Tybalt hates Romeo with his whole heart and does not care about the consequences that will happen by doing so. After Romeo marries Juliet, fighting her kinsman Tybalt is the last thing that he wants to do. Further in the book, Tybalt is not interested in hearing

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The troubles that we witness in Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is something that can not be blamed on one family. It has to be blamed on a single person. That person is Tybalt, nephew to Lady Capulet and cousin of Juliet. Tybalt did many things in order to “stir the pot” and cause unrest. For instance, Tybalt wants to kill Romeo at the ball held by the Capulets.

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Shakespeare’s famous play, Romeo and Juliet, has characters that range from the care-free Mercutio, the love-stricken Romeo, and several other personalities that fall in between. Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, is a vicious fighter who will duel anyone to release some of the unexplained rage that he keeps inside. The Montagues are the family that pushes his hatred over the top and when they cross his path, he is always quick to challenge them to a fight. Other than where the Montagues are concerned, the source of his hot-headed temper remains a mystery to those that know him. If closely examined, however, Tybalt’s character could be explained through a few key observations.

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Additionally, when Lord Capulet held a ball, Romeo has sneaked in with his friends which led to Tybalt realizing that he found Romeo at the Capulet party. His aggression towards Romeo contributes to the tragedy, therefore Tybalt is enraged that Romeo was at the party, saying, "Now by the stock and honour of my kin, / To strike him dead I hold it not a sin" (1.5.57-58). This conveys that Tybalt is eager to pursue violence to defend his family's honor, even if it threatens other people’s safety. This accost eventually leads to Tybalt's death which causes Lord Capulet to bring forward Juliet’s marriage to Paris. It created more pressure on Romeo and Juliet’s constrained relationship.

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(Shakespeare 393 lines 54-59) What Tybalt is basically saying is that Romeo shouldn’t be at the house of the Capulets because he’s a Montague and he is dining with his enemies which if his father found out about it his father would be furious. Tybalt is hotheaded as shown in act III scene I “Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries / that thou hast done me; therefore turn and draw.” (Shakespeare 427 lines 63-64)

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His family”s pride showed no boundaries as Tybalt stated in (Act 1. Scene 5. 56-57) “Now by the honor of our family, I do not consider it a crime to kill him”(about Romeo). In this scene, Romeo came uninvited to the Capulets party. Tybalt was very hostile towards this move and saw it as an offense to his family’s name.

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The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is one of the most popular tragedies and pieces of literature in the modern world. However, most people fail to recognize the butterfly effect of decisions that some side characters make that lead to major and sometimes catastrophic events in the story. One of these characters, for example, is Tybalt. Even in the character descriptions at the beginning of the story, Tybalt is described as having a short temper and often has his pride hurt easily. Tybalt Capulet is a dangerous and unpredictable character who causes most of the conflict in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet because of the way he was raised and his prideful behavior.

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It shows that just the existence of the opposite family can cause fighting and further strife. Tybalt’s unprecedented hatred towards Romeo continues when he tells Romeo that “Thou art a villain” (3.1.60). Based on what is revealed in the play, Romeo and Tybalt have never talked or interacted face-to-face before this meeting with each other. However, despite this Tybalt has no problem calling Romeo a villain, even after Romeo claims he doesn’t want to fight him and instead loves him. Tybalt, like all Montagues and Capulets, automatically assumes that the opposite house is evil and instead of

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This shows that Tybalt is an instigator and wants to fight to kill Romeo and make him go. Tybalt plays a very violent role in Romeo and Juliet, and he definitely shows it. Tybalt What, drawn talk of peace? I hate that word, I hate that word." "As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.

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What, does this peasant dare to come here with his face covered.?” (63). This quote, spoken by Tybalt shows us how deep the hatred between the families runs, as well as how easily Tybalt will resort to violence over reasoning. Another example of Tybalt's influence is when his death occurs at the hands of Romeo, initially, Romeo would be to blame however Tybalt had also killed Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, and as a result Romeo wanted Tybalt's life. “He’s waiting for you to keep him company on the way up to heaven.”

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Their opposite behaviors add to the plot and development of both of their personalities, while also making it obvious that Romeo's lack of filial piety will contribute to his downfall. Additionally, the day following the party, Tybalt seeks out Romeo to duel him for crashing the Capulet party as a Montague. Tybalt has immense pride in his family name, and will not tolerate any disrespect, so he tells Romeo that "thou art a villain" (3.1.62). In response to this, Romeo tells Tybalt

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In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt’s aggressiveness is his most notable flaw. Tybalt first expresses his hatred to the opposing family, the Montague’s, when using words of animosity in the street fight against the Capulets. In the streets of Verona, Italy, a fray arose between the two families, in which Tybalt comes to interfere with the fight by proclaiming, “Where art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? / Turn thee, Benvolio: look upon thy death” (1.1.62-63). Tybalt’s combative personality clearly shows that his intentions of aggression, even convinces a man of peace, Benvolio, to fight for his people against all costs.

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Clearly the family feud causes Romeo and Juliet to kill themselves with their love still a secret. They wouldn’t have had to lie if the parents would have just been more involved with what the kids were doing. The Friar and Nurse who weren't even family knew more about them than the parents. Based on hard evidence it is clear that Shakespeare chose the theme of Family for his story. Whether family is the theme or not one thing is for sure, in a literary world where romance falls untimely between two young lovers, with a feud between their families, the outcome is never a happy

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I hate the word/ As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee/ Have at thee, coward” (1.1.67-68)! This shows that the hatred is instilled deep within the family. Tybalt belittled his own men because they were of lower rank than him and he made

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Tybalt believes that Romeo attended the fest to mock and show disgrace to the Capulet and therefore wanted to kill Romeo. however, which in fact is not true as Romeo came to meet Rosaline and is known in the city to be a very nice man. Tybalt’s feeling about Romeo is not due to his actions but because of his passionate hate for Romeo as he is a Montague a family enemy. In addition, Tybalt Mercutio has great hate towards the Capulets and along with his short temper has caused his death and gotten Romeo banished from

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