When Tybalt over hears Romeo speak and recognises his voice and realises that there are Montague’s at the party and immediately wants to pick a fight with Romeo, only to be stopped by his cousin Old Capulet. ‘Content thee gentle coz, Let him alone.’ This angers Tybalt extremely and he vows to get Romeo back for his prank. ‘I will withdrawal, but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall.’ This conflict remains underlying until later in the play when Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt and Mercutio steps up. It is because of his loyalty and love for Juliet that Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, it is this that leads to the death of Mercutio as he fights Romeos battle for him. Mercutio is injured fatally and blames Romeo intervening for the cause of his injury. The loyalty Romeo has for Juliet not only caused the death of the friendship between himself and Mercutio but also the death of Mercutio himself. ‘O sweet Juliet, Thy beauty hath made me effeminate and in my temper softened valor’s steel!’ Mercutio’s last words are ‘A plague on both your houses.’ A dead mans curse that will soon be fulfilled. When Mercutio is slain by Tybalt, Romeo is enraged and the underlying conflict springs to life which then leads to Romeo killing Tybalt. The Capulet’s are enraged and this adds fuel to the fire of the ‘ancient grudge.’
Not only is the conflict in the play physical but it is aloes emotional. Both Romeo and Juliet know that it is wrong to be in love but there is nothing they can do about it. ‘My only love sprung from my only hate. Too early seen unknown and known too late. Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy.’ In their heads they know it is wrong but their heart says its right, they both have conflict between head and heart. ‘Can I go forward when my heart is here?’
Romeo seeks Friar Lawrence to marry himself and Juliet, the Friar is irresponsible in agreeing to marry them so rationally and without needing a lot of persuasion. He thinks if the two marry then the families will put their differences aside and turn the hate to ‘pure love.’ Friar Lawrence plays a huge part in the outcome of this play as he seems to unconsciously team up with fate against the two ‘star crossed lovers.’ There is a constant battle with fate and the two lovers throughout the play and the Friar only helps push that along by giving Juliet the potion to put her into a coma like state, whilst fate plays its part in making sure that the letter to explaining the situation never reaches Romeo therefore uncovering the fatal consequences where fate finally defeats the lovers and they meet their doom.
Juliet’s nurse plays a large part in the battle between love and what is right. She knows about Romeo and Juliet’s romance from the onset yet betrays the trust of the Capulet’s by keeping the dark secret of the two lovers and playing messenger for them. It seems that the nurse is the only one working for them when the world is working against them, that is until Juliet’s father demand the she shall marry Pairs. It seems that the nurse has turned her back on the lovers as she tells her to obey her father’s instructions.
Another example of conflict in the play is the very distinguished difference between men and women. The world of Romeo and Juliet was very much a man’s world as was the Elizabethan area in which it was written. Men have the authority and the women do as they say. This becomes apparent when Old Capulet informs Juliet that she is to marry Pairs. Juliet makes it clear to her father that she does not want to be wed to him. ‘Not proud you have, but thankful that you have. Proud I can never be of what I hate. But thankful even for hate that is meant love.’ Capulet’s response makes it very clear that she will do as he says no matter how she feels. ‘To go with Paris to Saint Peters Church or I will drag thee on hurdle thither. Out, you green sickness, carrion! Out, you baggage. You tallow face!’
There is also two more victims’ of the conflict, Lady Montague who dies of a broken heart before the families make their peace. We are not told what broke her heart there are some clues that lead us to think that it was the death of Tybalt mixed with the early ‘death’ of her beloved daughter Juliet that caused her tragic unnecessary death. The last is Paris who whilst guarding the tomb of Juliet is needlessly killed by Romeo.
The ‘ancient grudge’ between the two families took the lives of many people throughout the years it lasted but unfortunately it took the tragic death of the beloved children of the two families to end it. ‘Capulet, Montague, see what scourge is laid upon you hate the heaven finds means to kill your only joys with love.’ The light of Romeo and Juliet ‘burnt out’ alongside the light of the conflict of the two families. It is just a pity that lives had to be lost to attain this peace which the Prince rightly describes as ‘glooming peace.’
