William Shakespeare has written many impactful works that are still talked about today, even 400 years after his death. His plays are performed in almost every language, on stage, and at multiple festivals. This demonstrates the effectiveness of Shakespeare's writing, which represents the power of storytelling. Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth are two examples of Shakespeare's plays that portray narrative in different ways, but are still known to many people. Three main aspects that help distinguish the two plays from each other are the central theme, conflict, and characterization. Through examining these elements, the modern viewer is able to engage with narratives that were written centuries ago. The theme of a play is the message that the writer is trying to convey. In Romeo and Juliet, the play is based around the central …show more content…
This is usually introduced in the rising action and then occurs in the climax. In the script of Romeo and Juliet, the main conflict that is introduced is the sense of character versus society. Society had the idea that the Capulets and the Montegues could not get along, which made it difficult for Romeo and Juliet to be together. However, Romeo wanted to be with Juliet, so he went against the standards that society set (Shakespeare). In contrast to this, the main conflict in the play of Macbeth is character versus self. This is shown throughout the play when Macbeth struggles with his internal thoughts. In the beginning of the script, Macbeth is responsible for the murder of Duncan, for which he feels guilty and is haunted by this horror (2.2). In the middle of the script, Macbeth struggled, lost a sense of reality, and did not know if it was a vision or real. This is shown when Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost during a banquet (3.4). Looking at these two plays, it is understood that although they have two different types of conflict, it adds an impact to the