Skip to main content

What brings on the dramatic conflict of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

The dramatic conflict of Romeo and Juliet really has its roots before the play even starts, with the feud of the Montagues and Capulets.  We are told this in the prologue.  The two families are feuding because of some long-forgotten reason and now any time anyone associated with one gets in contact with someone from the other it causes bloodshed.


Things come to a head, however, when Romeo Montague’s friends convince him to sneak into...

The dramatic conflict of Romeo and Juliet really has its roots before the play even starts, with the feud of the Montagues and Capulets.  We are told this in the prologue.  The two families are feuding because of some long-forgotten reason and now any time anyone associated with one gets in contact with someone from the other it causes bloodshed.


Things come to a head, however, when Romeo Montague’s friends convince him to sneak into the Capulet’s party.  They should not really be there.  Once there, Romeo falls head-over-heels in love with Juliet Capulet.  That is the real cause of the conflict.  Romeo and Juliet cannot be together.  Their families won’t hear of it.



JULIET


My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy. (Act 1, Scene 5)



Romeo and Juliet do get together, and they decide to try to make a go of it despite the odds.  This includes marriage in secret.  That turns out to be a disaster.  


Romeo gets into a fight with Tybalt, and when his friend Mercutio intervenes, Tybalt kills him.  Then Romeo kills Tybalt.  This is problematic because Tybalt was Juliet's cousin.   Romeo is banished.


Romeo's banishment causes trouble for Juliet.  She is almost forced to marry Paris.  She asks Friar Laurence for help, and he gives her a potion to fake her death, after which he tries to write Romeo a letter warning him. But Romeo doesn't get the letter because of a plague.


When Romeo returns to find Juliet dead, he drinks poison and kills himself.  Juliet wakes up and kills herself with her dagger, and is now really dead.  The good thing is that this ends the conflict between the families.  They bury the feud for good.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more