Romeo And Juliet Feud

Pointless conflicts often stifle positive changes in society. This is shown no better than through the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Set in 1300s Verona, Italy, the play follows the story of the Capulet and Montague families with an ancestral feud. The two children of these families are Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. They fall in love but are unable to have a normal relationship due to their families’ conflict. Eventually, the feud is resolved with the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. The ancient feud between the two families is the central element that led to their deaths. This theme is supported through the nonfiction essay “A Critical Essay on Romeo and Juliet” by Lois Kershen. Feuds did not only occur in the 1300s however, as a modern-day version of the feud existed between the Hatfield and McCoy families, a story told through the essay “‘Love’s Labors Lost’ The Resolutions of America’s Greatest Feud” which can be used to confirm how a

The ongoing feud between the Capulets and Montagues can be seen as the primary reason forcing Romeo and Juliet to go to extreme lengths to keep their relationship hidden and this secrecy leads to their tragic deaths. The hatred the two families have for each other forces Romeo and Juliet to be unable to love one another publicly. Juliet tells Romeo “‘Tis thy name that is my enemy.’”(Shakespeare 2.2.41). Juliet loves Romeo but cannot fully express her feelings because Romeo is a Montague. The feud creates a barrier between Romeo and Juliet. This is further shown when Juliet tells Romeo that if any Capulet sees him in the garden “‘They will murder thee’”(2.2.75). The feud is so fueled and intense that Romeo cannot even be seen inside Capulet's property or else he will be killed. This severely constricts how Romeo and Juliet can go about loving one