Conflict is also presented in oppositions and the idea of recurring images. Firstly, light and darkness are presented in the play quite often. Images of darkness usually mean death, violence, sadness and secrecy. In Act One Scene One, Romeo is sad and depressed because he is sickly in love- “Out of her favour where I am in love”. Then later on in the play, in Act Two Scene Two, Romeo uses darkness so he can safely be with Juliet in secrecy- “I have night’s cloak to hide me from their eyes”. At the end of the play in Act Five Scene Three, Juliet is placed in a tomb, as she is supposedly dead. This shows the darkness of the tomb represents death, because Romeo then opens the tomb to see Juliet- “Opens the tomb”. Light and whiteness is often linked with images of love, life, and hope. In Act One Scene Two, Romeo links light to love. He says that if he does fall for another women, instead of Rosaline, then “turn tears to fires”, which is an imagery of light and fire. Romeo also personifies the sun, because he says, “The all-seeing sun Ne’er saw her match since first the world begun”, which links light to love once again. In Act Two Scene Two Romeo describes Juliet as “the sun”. Romeo also says, “Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon” which is a good example of the conflict between light and darkness. Romeo again refers to light in Act Three Scene Five- “Night’s candles are burnt out”. Light and darkness is the last thing mentioned in Act Five Scene Three, by the Prince. He says, “The sun for sorrow will not show his head”, which means that it is dark, because the sun cannot show due to all the tragic events that have just occurred.
Age and youth is also another conflicting image. It is mentioned in the prologue, because it says, “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny”, which shows that this grudge has been going on since the older generation, and still carries on in Romeo and Juliet’s generation. It also says, “Which, but their children’s end, could nought remove”, showing that it was the children who had to pay for the childish feud between the parents. The theme of age is also shown in Act One Scene Five. Lord Capulet says, “you and I are past our dancing days”, which means that he is too old to be dancing. However, there is opposition here, because Lord Capulet still has much life left in him, as he is very jolly, and has arranged this lively party. Age is also mentioned later on in the play, in Act Three Scene Five, when Lord Capulet arranges Juliet’s marriage, as she has no say- “Thursday next, To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church, Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither”.
Another opposition that is shown in this play is the conflict between male and female. In Act One Scene one, Sampson and Gregory are making crude jokes about women- “I will cut off their heads…the heads of maids, or their maidenheads” which demonstrate how men treat women with little respect. This is revealed once again in Act two Scene Four, because Mercutio makes a joke about the Nurses look "to hide her face”. The idea of arranged marriages occurs here again, because women of the sixteenth century could not choose who they wanted to marry, but were chosen for them by their fathers. This is what happens to Juliet in Act Three Scene Four, because Lord Capulet suddenly decides that Paris is to marry Juliet on the upcoming Thursday- “A Thursday let it be a’ Thursday, tell her, she shall be married to this noble earl”. Then, in the next scene, Act Three Scene Five, Lord Capulet threatens to throw her out if she does not marry Paris- “Graze where you will, you shall not house with me”- talks about her in a very disorderly manner- “ you green-sickness carrion, out you baggage, You tallow face!” Lord Capulet also has control over his wife, showing that Lord Capulet has power over women, which was the type of environment that females lived in, in the sixteenth century.
There is also an opposition of fate and destiny against free will. Fate and destiny is first mentioned in the prologue at the beginning of the play. It tells the audience that Romeo and Juliet were “star crossed” lovers, which may mean that they were meant to be with each other, or they were doomed by the fate of the stars It then goes on to say that the love between Romeo and Juliet was “death-marked”, and therefore they were always going to die, no matter what they did to try and avoid it. This illustrates the power of the stars and the strong belief in astrology in the sixteenth century. However, the cause that started the “ancient grudge” could have been due to free will, and not fate and destiny. Once again in Act One Scene two Peter ‘coincidentally’ cannot read, and so Romeo reads the letter aloud for him- “reads the paper”. This may be due to the stars that Romeo decided to read the paper, hence finding out about the party, or it may be due to Romeo’s own free will for being nice, and helping Peter. In Act One, Scene Four, Romeo has a premonition of his death. Romeo says that his “mind misgives some consequence, yet hanging in the stars” which implies that he feels something bad is going to happen, due to the influence of the stars. In Act Two Scene Four, Mercutio mentions the idea of destiny. Mercutio makes a joke about Romeo being “already dead…with a love-song” meaning that Romeo has been killed by love. However, later events mean that Romeo is killed, due to love, and therefore the joke that Mercutio made is more like another premonition of Romeo’s death. The conflict here demonstrate that the events that occur may be due to free will, or fate and destiny, and therefore some tragedies throughout the play may have happened because it was fated, or might have been coincidental.
Images of life and death are also presented in the play. In Act Two Scene Three Friar Lawrence talks about the plants, and how some cures while others kills if used incorrectly “this weak flower Poison hath residence, and medicine power”. When Romeo finds out he is going to be banished, he goes to see Friar Lawrence, in Act Three Scene Three. Romeo says, “banishment? Be merciful say death; For exile hath more terror in his look, much more than death”. This confirms that banishment is worse than death, as he will be taken away from “Where Juliet lives”. In Act Three Scene Five, Romeo says, “I must be gone and live, or stay and die”, which confirm that life and death is juggled around, because Romeos knows that if he stays he may get caught and killed, but he is still reluctant to go. Later on in Act Three Scene Five, Juliet says she would prefer to die than marry Paris- “Delay this marriage for a month, a week, Or if you do not, make the bridal bed In that dim monument where Tybalt lies”- which reveal that the love between Romeo and Juliet is so strong that anything that may come between them, like marriage, is worse than death. Juliet is also feeling the same way as Romeo did when he was told he was banished. The last image of life and death is when Juliet goes to the Friar, in Act Four Scene One. Juliet says, “I long to die”, which is due to the arranged marriage with Paris. Then Friar Lawrence thinks up a plan, which is “Like death when he shuts up the day of life”. This means that she will be given a remedy which reacts in the same way a deadly poison would, except Juliet will not actually be dead. This is another example of conflict between life and death because Juliet is alive, but dead to everyone surrounding her.
Lastly, the opposition that probably sums up the whole play, is between love and hate. In Act One Scene One, Romeo makes a very important statement- “Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love”. This quotation means that Romeo is stuck in all the hatred and conflict between the families, but more concerned and interested in love. The reason being, Rome is part of the house of Montague’s, who despise the Capulet’s. Therefore Romeo is involved with the hatred against the Capulet’s. Juliet is part of the house of Capulet’s, who despise the Montague’s, so Juliet is involved in the feud against the Montague’s. Romeo is in love with Juliet, which then confuses everything. Juliet then says in Act One Scene Five, that her “only love sprung from” her “only hate”. Therefore, both Romeo and Juliet “love a loathed enemy”. This describe to the audience that love and hate can affect the way people react, because in Act Two Scene Two Juliet suddenly changes her outlook on the Montague’s and forgets about the grudge her father has against them- “Deny thy father, and refuse thy name…I’ll no longer be a Capulet”. Romeo does exactly the same “My name…is hateful to myself, Because it is an enemy to thee”. Therefore, due to the hatred between the two families, the love between the two was so much stronger, and therefore the death of them was much more painful to the surrounding people.
These oppositions all represent conflict in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The lovers were destined to have a battle through love together, because where there was light there was darkness, where there was life there was death, and where there was love there was hate. Shakespeare has done this to let the audience know that there are other types of conflict, not only physical. The conflicting themes and images around people can affect the future events, as well as the actions of people.
Verbal conflict is also presented in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Firstly, at the beginning of Act One Scene One, the servants use metaphors to describe swords- “thy tool”, “naked weapon”. These quotations illustrate that a brawl is about to start, as swords are being drawn, and therefore shows physical conflict. A very effective technique that can show conflict clearly is using oxymorons. Romeo used many of them in his speech in Act One Scene One- “loving hate”, “heavy lightness”, “cold fire”, “sick health”, which emphasise the conflicting themes. This makes the discord, more noticeable, and effective. The dialect used also has a great affect on conflict. For example, in Act Three Scene Five Lord Capulet uses very abusive language as he calls Juliet a “green-sickness carrion” and a “disobedient wretch”. He also says that if she does not obey him he will leave her to “hang, beg, starve, die in the streets”. The audience can tell from this type of language that there have been some conflicting events that have made Lord Capulet so angry. Shakespeare has used language well, in order to create an atmosphere of conflict, so that you would know what is going on, even by just hearing the words of the play. The audience can also see that the language can affect the speed of the play, and enhance the theme of conflict. For example, the brawl at the beginning started so suddenly, that the audience got an idea of how quickly a fracas can start. This is shown throughout the play, because whenever there is any sign of skirmish, the speed of the play seems to increase.
In conclusion, it is clearly shown that conflict is essential in a tragedy in order make an interesting and effective play. Shakespeare has clearly done this, not only by including physical conflict, but verbal t as well. Shakespeare has used the Elizabethan lifestyle to show the different types of tension that were around when the play was created. However, these dispute are still around in the twenty-first century, and this play represents the fact that society may have modernised, but the same problems and conflicts still occur today.
