How important is the theme of conflict in the play of Romeo and Juliet?

Authors Avatar

How important is the theme of conflict in the play of Romeo and Juliet?

Conflict is important in all good dramas because it can get the audience involved and build up suspense. The Matrix, The Terminator and Harry Potter all have conflict in them which is why most people agree they are good films. Conflict is one of the most important aspects of Romeo and Juliet because it adds suspense, action, mystery and a good, interesting storyline. The “ancient grudge” makes the audience wonder what will happen next and builds up a sense of mystery; they want to know how the conflict started. There are many types of conflict within the play of Romeo and Juliet. There is verbal conflict and physical conflict which appear in many ways; the conflict between the families, the conflict within the families and the conflict with the Prince of Verona.

    The prologue tells of an “ancient grudge” between two similar families. This gives us an obvious hint that there is a lot of conflict to come later on in the play. The phrase “ancient grudge” tell us that the conflict has been going on for a long time. There are many words in the prologue relating to conflict. For example: grudge, blood, foes, mutiny, death, strife and rage. The word quarrel is frequently used throughout the play by many of the characters; it means to fight or argue. The play even starts with a quarrel between the servants of the Montague and Capulet household. The prologue is written as a sonnet. Shakespeare often used sonnets in his work because it made people listen to what was being spoken. The sonnet has quatrains and each quatrain tells a different part of the story. A quatrain usually has two lines that do not rhyme apart from the last two lines which do; this adds the effect of a finale.

Join now!

    After the prologue, the audience would be expecting some conflict. The audience usually loves conflict because it contains action and sometimes makes the audience choose a side. Sampson and Gregory carry swords and bucklers which show that they are ready or expecting a fight. They discuss how they want to start a fight with the Montague’s but they want the law on their side. Sampson bites his thumb at Abram, but then realises the law is not on his side, so he denies doing it. Benvolio arrives and tries to make peace, but then Tybalt comes and wants ...

This is a preview of the whole essay