Act one gives us an ides of what life is like for both the Capulets and the Montagues. The first scene of the play is set in the streets of Verona where a rumble between the two families takes place. The prince then come and breaks it up and threatens everyone with severe penalties if the fighting continued. This shows that the two households hated each other very much, and also shows that the prince hated the rivalry and the hatred it represented. One character that is introduced in this scene is Tybolt, Juliet’s cousin. There is one thing that he says that describes him perfectly. “Peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues and thee”. This shows that Tybolt is full of rage for his household rivalry and the idea of peace is alien to him. Another important quote in Act 1 is said by Romeo, “Did my heart love till now”. Romeo says this when he first sees Juliet and falls in love. This contributes to this essay because it is one of the few love scenes that make you forget about the rivalry for a few moments.
Act two is mainly about Romeo and Juliet and their love fore each other. The first few scenes are mostly concerned with Romeo and Juliet’s courtship. However in the last scene the friar who is a friend of Romeo’s marries them in secret. Earlier in this Act Juliet’s nurse, who feels sorry for her because of the way her parents treat her, warns Romeo not to muck Juliet around. This whole scene is to do with love then hate. A few significant lines are said in the first scenes of this Act. “Love goes towards love as schoolboys from their books, but love from love, toward school with heavy looks”, Romeo says this quote. He uses a metaphor compares his love to a boy going to school. This shows that Romeo has a big crush on Juliet as he is trying to be romantic. Among all of this the friar is concerned about them getting married as they have just met. “Is Rosline whom thou didst love so dear, so soon forsake? Young men’s love then lies not truly is their heart, but in their eyes” In this section, the Friar questions the depth of love which young men like Romeo feel.
In Act three we see a different kind of love, the love between friends. I.e. In scene one Tybolt starts to get aggressive towards Romeo. However Romeo responded calmly which got Tybolt angry, and then he lashed out. At this point Mercutio Romeo’s best friend steps in to fight. Tybolt the stabs Mercutio and he slowly bleeds to death. The friendship between Romeo and Mercutio was so strong that Mercutio died for it. Another sign of this strong friendship is that Romeo breaks his vow of piece and kills Tybolt in act of rage. As he kills a Tybolt he says “Now Tybolt take the villain back again that late thou gavest me, for Mercutio’s soul is but a little way above our heads”. In the last scene of this Act, Juliet is told that she is to marry Paris, which she refuses to do. This sends her parents into a rage. “I would the fool were married to her grave” this is said by Lady Capulet just before Lord Capulet says “out you green –sickness corrian, out you baggage.” This could be seen as an act love or hate. It could represent hate because the language is so personal and violent, however it could also represent love because Lord Capulet could just want to ensure that Juliet can continue living the life she is used to, by marrying a respectable and wealthy man.
Act four is one of the most important Acts in the play as it has a few scenes in it that show love and hate. In scene one Paris reminds Juliet and the friar who married her to Romeo about their wedding. However she postpones the wedding by claiming to grieve over Tybolt, She doesn’t want to marry Paris, as she still loves Romeo although he is banished. She loves Romeo so much that she says, “Love give me strength, and strength shall help afford” Juliet to asking love to give her strength. Shortly after this the Friar comes up with a plan so that Romeo and Juliet could be together, agree to marry Paris but take a potion just before the vows are exchanged which would seem dead. Juliet agreed to this although it was dangerous because she was full of love and hatred, love for Romeo and hatred for her parents. In the last scenes the Nurse finds her and the wedding is turned into a funeral.
Act five is the last Act of the play and the Friar’s plan comes to life. In the first scene Romeo receives word of Juliet’s death. Romeo then decides that life is not worth living as his true love is dead, so he kills himself at Juliet’s side “Ah me, how sweet is love itself possessed when but true love’s shadows are so rich in Jay”. At the places where Juliet is being kept, Romeo shows up, fights Paris and kills him. He then takes the poison and dies kissing Juliet. Shortly after Juliet awakes and the Friar tells Juliet what has happened, Juliet then stabs her self in order to be with Romeo. A crowd gathers and the Friar tells everyone what has happened from the beginning before he is arrested. The Capulet’s and the Montague’s admit that their feud was to blame. The Prince pardons the families and says “For never was a story of more woe them that of Juliet and Romeo”
Generally I think that the play is more about hate then love due to the fact everything that happened as a result of hatred. However, there are other themes that the play portrays very well, such as conflict. The main conflict in the play is the feud between the two families. Another type of conflict in the play is the conflict in the play is the conflict of decision for Juliet’s Nurse. The Nurse knew of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet, which their parents would have done anything in their power to break them up, as they were enemies. Another theme of the play is loyalty; loyalty is shown throughout the play: as loyalty to family – people fight for their family’s honour, friends – people die for there friends, loves - Romeo and Juliet die for love.
By Wesley Thompson
