Romeo And Juliet Research Paper

415 Words2 Pages

In William Shakespeare's famous tragedy *Romeo and Juliet*, such endless rivalry of the Capulet house against the Montagues significantly affects the choices and deeds of the lead characters. As a matter of fact, it reveals how family dynamics shape their tragic fate. This fight of the houses is posed as a background against which an unhappy love story unfolds between Romeo and Juliet. This guides their decisions until death. Through the whole play, Romeo and Juliet are dragged to move amidst the problem of expectations and rivalry between their houses. Take, for instance, Act 1, Scene 5, when Romeo and Juliet first met during the Capulets' high-end ball; even though they knew that their families were in enmity, they managed to fall head over heels in love. Juliet's famous line, "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?" could not better explain her exact inward struggle: torn between love for Romeo and realization of their family's enmity. It clearly extrapolates how family dynamics play a major role in shaping what kind of choices they make. …show more content…

Juliet's father, Lord Capulet, insisting that she marry Paris, a rich and respected gentleman, seeks to secure and enhance their family's standing in society. As shown in Act 3, Scene 5, when Juliet begs off and discloses that she is in love with Romeo, Capulet goes through the roof and yells, "Out, you green-sickness carrion! Out, you have baggage!" 3.5.160 -. The pressures of family upon one's decisions are clearly brought out through these harsh words by Capulet, which shape out Juliet's tragic fate. Likewise, it is the loyalty to his family that compels Romeo to avenge the death of Mercution by his kinsman Tybalt, notwithstanding the fact that Juliet belonged to that family. This vendetta sparks a chain of tragic events at the end of which Tybalt