How Does Shakespeare Present Conflict In Romeo And Juliet

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Has anyone ever wondered how being impulsive or blinded by love could lead to conflict or even death? Well, that is exactly what took place in Romeo and Juliet. In the play Romeo and Juliet, the author -William Shakespeare- uses the following structures: characterization, conflict, and. dramatic irony. Shakespeare uses these tools in his play to display his theme: love and conflict. Throughout the play, we see Shakespeare displaying direct and indirect characteristics. In this paragraph, we will look at both. Characterization is used to display the motivation, thoughts, and overall characteristics of a character. In Romeo and Juliet, the main characters -who are the fate-destined lovers- that develop Shakespeare's theme are Romeo Montague …show more content…

In Act 1, Romeo is going through a hard time because he is rejected by Roseline. With this, Romeo's motivation was to wallow in self-pity, but he still wanted to find love. However, in Act 1 Scene 5, Romeo goes to the Capulet's party only to run into Tybalt. Tybalt is Capulet and since the Montagues and Capulets are the two powers of Verona they have an ongoing feud. Tybalt is motivated by hate for the Montagues in the play: Shakespeare uses Tybalt to create the theme of conflict. Going back to Act 1 Scene 1 we see this being displayed: "What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee" (lines 71-72). This shows how he plays a role in conflict. Next, there is Juliet, the daughter of the Capulets. Juliet is displayed as independent, decisive, and strongheaded but besides having these very strong personality traits …show more content…

Shakespeare uses conflict to put forth his theme by giving us a piece of the past in the Prologue. In the Prologue we see Shakespeare giving us information about the Montagues and Capulets: "Two households, both alike in dignity" (line 1). This is saying there are two families, both similar in power, which refers to the Montagues and Capulets. By Shakespeare giving us this piece of information, the audience can sense conflict in the play. Also, in the Prologue the audience can assume that there will be death between the two "star-crossed lovers" that will resolve the conflict between the families. So, with Romeo and Juliet falling in love only more conflicts arise but the ultimate conflict is solved. In Act 3, Romeo kills Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, because of his impulsiveness. After Romeo kills Tybalt, Romeo is sentenced to banishment from Verona which results in no Juliet and no marriage. This creates more conflict because in Act 5 Juliet then has to marry Paris against her will, so she fakes her own death in order to get out of the marriage with Paris and to draw Romeo back to Verona. Although Juliet's plan to not marry Paris worked, Romeo believes Juliet is dead. When Romeo goes back to Verona for Juliet, he sees Juliet's body in her tomb. Romeo can not live in a world without Juliet, so he kills himself by consuming poison. So, conflict in Romeo and Juliet is crucial for the story's