Shakespeare uses theme, plot, character, setting, language, dramatic devices and contrast in order to create violence and conflict. Although it is about types of love, there is much violence e.g. Act3 Sc1. the ending of the play is violent as it ends in suicide but also at the very beginning the Capulet’s and the Montague’s fight so the play starts and ends with violence.
Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona Italy, this place is very hot and this symbolises heat and passion and temper of the Italians. ’do you bite your thumb at me sir?’ this was considered to be inappropriate and insulting behaviour. It is possible that if Shakespeare was making a comment about Elizabethan laws he would have had to se the play in a different country ‘the day is hot, the Capels are abroad and the mad blood is stirring’ (Benvolio Act3Sc1) this is a example of how Shakespeare sets the scene he also creates suspense whilst doing this and Shakespeare’s placing of the scene is important, it creates the height of tension and from that scene onwards tragedy follows. The setting is shown at the beginning in the prologue ‘In fair Verona where we lay our scene’ this shows where its set. The prologue addresses the audience directly it gets the audience involved and information is given out to them.
Shakespeare’s character both represents and uses violent language as a way to provoke and insult others. Tybalt is the most violent character and stated excitedly in public, ‘Peace I hate the word’. He is a functional character in that he creates dilemma for Romeo.
Although the themes explored in Romeo and Juliet are love, hate and violence the main one is tragedy as the play ends in tragedy caused by human error, the timing of events and feelings, like in Hamlet ‘time is out of joint’
Shakespeare uses language in many different ways in order to both inform and enthrawl his audience. The prologue informs the audience that a ‘pair of star crossed lovers’ will ‘take their life’. Therefore we know that fate is against the characters from the start, so we then witness/watch how and why this tragedy occurs. In addition the prologue asks us to be ‘patient’ with the ‘two hour traffic’ on stage another device to gain and keep the audiences attention. He uses poetry for love scenes and the Elizabethans were obsessed with colourful interesting language, he uses violent language as a contrast which would represent a villain. E.g. ‘do you bite your thumb at me’ biting your thumb at some one was a great insult and the audience would be thrilled and excited at seeing this but quiet at love scenes which is a contrast.
Violence is also threatened to be used in Prince Escalus’ part as he has had enough of all the violence and fighting, he says to the Capulet’s and Montague’s ‘anybody disturbs the peace, they’ll pay with their life’.
Imagery rhyme and metaphors are also used.
(Like Miller) Shakespeare uses tragedy for this play, it ends in death and fate, time and circumstances are beyond human control. Both Romeo and Juliet become victims of the family conflict and the violence that takes place. Romeo’s speech in Act1 uses many oxymoron’s, ‘O brawling love, O loving hate…’ this page of opposites reflects the on going conflict between the two houses. Throughout the play, the audience follows the theme of ‘love and hate’ like in a ‘midsummer nights dream’ also by Shakespeare teenage love is confusing. Therefore Shakespeare reveals the conflict and opposites in the play. ‘Chaos’ and ‘well seeming’ forms shows that whilst the characters mean well, there is in fact underlying tension that causes chaos. Further more, references to violence are made throughout the play also. Even as Romeo and Juliet marry, the friar warns that ‘violent delights’ can end in ‘violent death’. Not only is this ironic as their marriage leads to their deaths, but the audience is constantly reminded of the underlying tension of death and danger.
It could be said that the friar and the nurse are irresponsible in planning, allowing and performing the marriage as they are young and rash and it is also without parental consent. Elizabethan daughters were to obey their fathers not rebel against them. Although it seems the moral of this story is that it takes the son and daughter of Capulet’s (Romeo’s Family) and the Montague’s (Juliet’s Family) to die for them to see sense in what’s going on. The friar is contradictory in that he hopes for peace with their marriage, yet when he marries them he warns them that ‘violent delights, can end in violent death’
Shakespeare explores the complications of love and hate, Romeo has a dilemma as he chooses not to fight for his love of Juliet but then he hates and even kills out of love for Mercutio.
