How Does Shakespeare Present Violence In Romeo And Juliet

From before the opening scene, in the prologue, to the very last scene, Shakespeare presents violence in Romeo and Juliet prominently to the audience. With violence being a common topic of conversation between the characters and many conversations ending in physical violent fights. Needless to say, Shakespeare intertwines the whole play with many forms of violence from both the antagonists and protagonists, making us question the truth behind the characters' emotions and motives. The violence starts off as just conversations and bawdy jokes but it quickly progresses into extreme graphic physical violence. Every theme in Romeo and Juliet, every conversation, every character, all intertwines with the overall presence of violence and destructiveness.

They are both so out of control with passionate love, it leads them to do violent acts, with violent repercussions. This leads into the Italian stereotype that is shown during the play, the idea that Italians are extremely passionate about everything and are more dramatic than the audience of the play, the English. Shakespeare demonstrates the stereotypes from just the timeline in this play, while only meeting in Act 1, Romeo and Juliet get married in Act 2. The timings between these two events are only a matter of days; this portrays more violent love as they commit reckless acts that violate both their families. The line between genuine love and violent love is lost within Romeo and Juliet. The fate of this violent love is said so clearly in the prologue, ‘death marked love’, it is said from the beginning that their love is sealed with the fate of death. Fate was an influential factor in Shakespearean times as Cult of Lady Fortune was popular throughout Europe; also fortune was believed to be acting according to God’s decree. Fate and Fortune is referenced many-a-time in the play, the

The prologue tells the audience that the play will make murders of all the characters. The influential role that fate and fortune played in mediaeval Europe helped build the base of the Romeo and Julet which as Friar Lawrence says is, ‘These violent delights (will) have violent ends’. While fighting to keep their love—and themselves—alive, Romeo and Juliet fought so violently against their fate that they were willing to do reckless things such as betraying their families. Furthermore this violence follows Romeo and Juliet into their relationship as Romeo mirrors the story of the Petrarchan Lover as he sees Juliet as just an innocent pure object for him to love so much that he would sacrifice everything for the idea of. Not only were the irresponsible childish actions that they both committed violent but also the inevitable consequences that followed those acts. Slowly from this, Shakespeare removes the distinction between violence in love, idolising violent love and sexual violence. Shakespeare shows that the inevitable violence starts from the prologue and from the opening scene that fantasizies graphic sexual violence. He incases the whole tragic love story in violence as the characters were never meant to escape their violent