Romeo and Juliet, violence and conflict

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Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet was a very famous play written by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed in the 16th century, historians don’t know exactly when the play was written because Shakespeare didn’t want his plays documented. Romeo and Juliet is about two rivaling families, the Capulet’s and the Montague’s, it involves violence, love/lust, hatred, a marriage and death. The play begins with a fight, this sets the mood for the play. In this essay I will discuss the violence and conflict in the play.

In the first scene there was a fight between four servants, two from each family, a Capulet bites his thumb at a Montague. Abram (Montague) says to the Capulet “Do you bite your thumb at us Sir?”

The servants end up having a fight because biting your thumb at someone was one of the most offensive things to do in Elizabethan times. Benvolio (Montague) breaks up the fight between the servants, he says “Part fools! Put up you swords; you know not what you do.”

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Tybalt then shows up and they have another fight. I think this is a really good way to start off the play because it grabs the audience’s attention and it shows the conflict and violence between the families. The prince of Verona must of got very annoyed with the consent fights as he said “If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace” This makes it obvious it had happened more than once. Shakespeare must of really thought about the opening scene of this play as he uses something so offensive and something ...

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