How is the conflict caused and presented in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

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Lorraine                                                                              02/12/04

                                  English coursework

How is the conflict caused and presented in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?

I have been asked to write an essay on the Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.

The aims of this essay are to find out how the conflict was caused and presented in this play. I know that the conflict was in the 12 century and in a place called Verona which is in Italy and that it was between the Montagues and the Capulets but nether us or them know or remembers why it started because it was called “an ancient grudge” which has been continued throughtout each generation.

In order to understand the conflict I will discuss each individual character and say what their place is in the conflict.

Tybalt is a nephew to lord and lady Capulet and a cousin to Juliet. Although he does not speak much through the play he has a big impact on the outcome of it. Throughout the play he demonstrates his angry, resentful and stubborn nature. We first see him at the act 1 scene 1 and straightaway we see him as an angry person who takes the feud to heart “peace I hate the word as I hate hell all Montagues and thee”. We than see him at the Capulet ball and he sees Romeo and wants to kill him “by the stock and honour of my kin to strike him dead I hold it not a sin” but he then gets into a argument with lord Capulet who call’s him a “saucy boy” because lord Capulet doesn’t want the ball to be ruined and doesn’t see Romeo as a threat. We then see him on act 3 where he is arguing with Mercutio and then wants to fight Romeo but Romeo backs off because he has just married Juliet and so he sees Tybalt as family “I see you knowest me not”. Mercutio then steps in for Romeo and fights tybalt to defend Romeos honour.

Benvolio is a nephew to lord and lady Montague and cousin and friend to Romeo. His name which means well wisher reflects to some degree to his role in the play as a loyal friend and a peace maker. We see him at the act 1 scene 1 and straightaway he comes across as a peacemaker as he tries to stop the fighting “part fools! Put up your swords. you know not what you do”. We then see him try and help Romeo get over his lovesick feelings for Rosaline by suggesting that Romeo forgets her and look elsewhere but Romeo assures him that this is not possible. We then see him at the act 3 where he tries to get Tybalt and Mercutio to reason without fighting. We then see him when Romeo has killed Tybalt and he tells Romeo to run away “Romeo away be gone” or he will be killed by the Prince “the Prince will doom thee death” he also tries to defend Romeo in front of the prince by saying that Romeo didn’t want to fight but that Tybalt pressured him into fighting.  

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Mercutio is Romeo’s best friend and kinsman to the Prince he is also a joker and he makes things worse for everyone including himself. He also likes to turn everything into a joke. Although we hardly see him accept for in act 3 he is a big part of the play because if he hadn’t of died then Romeo wouldn’t have killed Tybalt because Romeo only killed Tybalt because he felt guilty for Mercutios death so he couldn’t just keep the peace because that was against the rules and honour of the time. This meant Romeo would not have ...

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