Romeo And Juliet Foil Essay

Do you ever wonder why in every story there are so many problems in the plot? Do you ever wonder why people argue so much? The reason for this is character foil. In the play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare dated to 1595, we can see these issues happening a lot between the Montagues and Capulets which are the two families in the story. They had a family feud happening that passed down through generations causing many uprises and fights throughout the play. Romeo and Juliet were star crossed lovers from the two different families. They fell in love but could never be together because of the hatred between their families. Throughout this story character foil is shown by different characters who create contrast between each other.

An example of this is Benvolio and Tybalt. Benvolio is a Montague, and Tybalt is a Capulet. Benvolio wants peace for people and to end violence, but Tybalt always wants a fight, and he is very violent. In the text, Tybalt says “What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.” (Shakespeare 701). Also in the text, Benvolio says “I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword or manage it to part these men with me.” (Shakespeare 700). These parts of the text show the difference between these characters and how their mindsets are totally different when it comes to the feud between the Montagues and Capulets. If everyone wanted peace in this tragedy, then there wouldn’t be a tragedy, and if everyone wanted violence it wouldn’t be very entertaining. This character foil adds contrast to the story and creates a more interesting

The Nurse raised Juliet and is very close to her, while Lady Capulet (Juliet’s mother), spent little time with her. They also disagreed in the text about Juliet marrying Paris. The nurse thinks that Paris is too old for Juliet, and she thinks that Juliet is too young to be married. (Shakespeare 709). On the other hand, Lady Capulet thinks that Paris is a good match for Juliet because he is wealthy and handsome. (Shakespeare 710). The nurse cares more for Juliet and would do anything for Juliet because she raised her like her own child since she was an infant. Lady Capulet uses Juliet as a tool to look good for the Capulet