Violence In Romeo And Juliet

Shakespeare was a marvellous play writer and his best play was Romeo and Juliet, in the story he mixed the themes of love and violence. This will show you how and why he did this.

The play is about romance; Shakespeare begins in the most peculiar way for instance, in the beginning of Act 1 Scene 1. Firstly he starts with violence with the houses arguing with each other and trying to resolve with a fight. Gregory bites his thumb (a highly rude gesture to the Montague’s). Then a verbal argument quickly commences, in Shakespeare’s time plays were supposed to have loads of action and thrill. Shakespeare explains all of the information to tell the audience exactly what is going on and when. In the fight he shows all of the Veronese society,
from those lowest in rank (the servants). Shakespeare establishes some of the major themes of the play. Shakespeare is very subtle in his stage directions. He always makes sure his audience k now whether its day or night. ‘Is day so young, you struck nine’ sad hours seem long to Romeo.
The opening of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is descriptive power, and excitement.
The feud between the families gives dramatic life.

Then Gregory and Sampson are having a very rude, humorous discussion (in their discussion they have some wordplay; puns and innuendo). Shakespeare has started with that type of beginning because he thinks that it will drag and appeal to the audience from the start so they’ll stay for the rest. He makes the men boast about their sexual prowess.

The target of their boast is the Montague’s. Shakespeare does this to show how utterly ridiculous the feud has become between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. He presents the violence by making most of the Montague and Capulet princes and villagers act like the only way to resolve arguments is with each other is with “blood to be shed”. They frequently argue until he shows the audience Romeo who likes a Capulet, but he doesn’t know that.

Then he goes to the love parts:
In act 1 scene 1 Benvolio replies that he earlier saw Romeo pacing through a grove of sycamores outside the city; since Romeo seemed troubled, Benvolio did not speak to
him.

As soon as Romeo is stated the mood changes, the violence and obscenity is forgotten. Peace and calmness enter the scene, crudity changes into true beauty. Shakespeare uses a metaphor sycamore ‘sick - amour’ which means hopeless love. Shakespeare introduces a strange way rein forming the confusion of love and sex.

Shakespeare shows himself as a psychologist, he understands the working of the human mind and heart.
The drama makes the audience empathise with Romeo. The love that Romeo is talking about it has been personified “cold fire”.

He understands that unhappiness makes the time drag. He describes Rosaline as “exceptionally beautiful”. But she wants to remain celibate, and has forsworn loving. Because he is unhappy, he makes his friends unhappy.
"That same pale, hard-hearted wench, that Rosaline, torments him so that he will sure run mad."(Mercutio comments this). Because he realises Rosaline doesn’t like him, he quotes; "I have lost myself, I am not here. / This is not Romeo, he's some other where. Romeo feels alienated by the feud between his family and the Capulet’s:
"Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate, / O anything of nothing first create!...This love feel I, that feel no love in this."
Shakespeare also manipulates us by making us feel sorry for Romeo because Rosaline wants nothing to do with Romeo.

Shakespeare only mixes these to themes because in his time, plays which had violence were attractive and the same with love. That’s why Shakespeare’s plays are really famous and loads of people have remembered it for hundreds of years, from when he was actually directing his
plays.