What Is the Nature of the Conflict in Act One, Scene One or Romeo and Juliet?
Right from the start Shakespeare lets us know there will be conflict throughout the play as in the prologue it says "from ancient grudge breaks to new mutiny." And "where civil blood makes civil hands unclean" This lets us know that there will was a past grudge and in this play the grudge will be re-ignited and it also suggests there will be fighting throughout the play and conflict will escalate. These two lines are about the feud between the families. It shows that it is an ancient grudge, which has been brewing for many years. By repeating the words civil, Shakespeare is stressing the fact that they are all civilians but the pride within each family has led them to violence and evil.
The play then goes straight from the prologue into a brawl in the first scene between both houses. It begins with servants from the two houses but later Tybalt, the son of the Capulets, and Benvolio arrive. Tybalt, during the brawl, says to Benvolio about the idea of peace,
“As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.” (1.1.65)
These are powerful words as Tybalt is ranking Benvolio and all the Montagues at the same level as hell and is expressing extreme hatred and genuine hatred.
In Act One Scene One, we are immediately introduced to two servants of the Capulet household, Gregory and Sampson. We see them engaging in informal dialogue that at its best could be described as playful banter. At first the two boast about themselves and about their status that they are above those 'carry coals'. However they do not just converse about themselves, the conversation swiftly begins to incorporate the Montague family. Shakespere uses the servants here as a device to stir gossip which will eventually result in a fight.
"I will push Montague's men from the wall...The quarrel is between our masters, and us their men"(1.1.18)
This enforces the feud we have previously read about in the prologue and also helps us to establish the scale of conflict between the two families; the conflict is
The play then goes straight from the prologue into a brawl in the first scene between both houses. It begins with servants from the two houses but later Tybalt, the son of the Capulets, and Benvolio arrive. Tybalt, during the brawl, says to Benvolio about the idea of peace,
“As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.” (1.1.65)
These are powerful words as Tybalt is ranking Benvolio and all the Montagues at the same level as hell and is expressing extreme hatred and genuine hatred.
In Act One Scene One, we are immediately introduced to two servants of the Capulet household, Gregory and Sampson. We see them engaging in informal dialogue that at its best could be described as playful banter. At first the two boast about themselves and about their status that they are above those 'carry coals'. However they do not just converse about themselves, the conversation swiftly begins to incorporate the Montague family. Shakespere uses the servants here as a device to stir gossip which will eventually result in a fight.
"I will push Montague's men from the wall...The quarrel is between our masters, and us their men"(1.1.18)
This enforces the feud we have previously read about in the prologue and also helps us to establish the scale of conflict between the two families; the conflict is