The Conflict Between The Main Characters, Love, Darkness, And Power In Romeo And Juliet By Shakespeare

Shakespeare was born near Avon river in England. He was a famous playwright, poet of the English literature. He was a member of Lord Chamberlain’s Man company. The Globe was his theatre place where all his plays were performed. He wrote many tragedies, , and comedies. Romeo and Juliet was his famous 16th cent. tragedy work.

The play is typically Renaissance play. Shakespeare inspired from Arthur Brooke’s play Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562). Two Italian families Montagues and Capulets have been enemies for years to each other. Romeo from the Montague family and Juliet from Capulet family fell in love with each other. Priest Lawrence secretly marriages them. Romeo kills Tybalt to take his friend’s revenge so he banishes from Verona. Juliet is forced to marry a man she hates, she takes medicine and it looks like she was dead. When Romeo finds out the situation he comes back to Verona and drinks poison near the grave of Juliet. Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo is dead. She kisses his lips to take the remaining poison and kills herself with Romeo’s dagger. Both two families are in sorrow. They make peace between them and they make the statues of Romeo and Juliet in the square. The play takes place in Verona city of Italy. In the period of the Renaissance. Renaissance is the period for new beginnings. Verona has known as a romantic city for hundred years.

The original version of a play is Italian. Shakespeare kept the setting same. The plot structure in the play is a five-act structure. Shakespeare changes the original play and makes five-act play tragedy. First, we learn about basic situations, and characters are introduced. Two households, both alike in dignity (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean…(35) In the rising action Romeo and Juliet fall in love and gets married. Than Romeo kills Lady Capulet’s cousin Tybalt to take the revenge of Mercutio and Prince of Verona banishes him.

The climax action is when Romeo and Juliet both kills themselves for eachother. The Friar Lawrence tells the truth to Capulet and Montague families that the two were actually married secretly and loved each other it is next of the falling action. Finally, at the resolution part families are upset by the situation and talks to each other to find the peace. In Romeo and Juliet, one of the important themes is the power of patriarchy. We see that the Lady Capulet and Lady Montague views are not important in their family issues. Well, get you gone. O’Thursday be it then. [to his wife:] Go you to Juliet ere you go to bed; Prepare her, wife, against this wedding day… (92) We see that Lord Capulet forces, her daughter Juliet, to marry with the young nobleman Paris.

Revenge, violence is another destructive element in the play. Two families fighting to each other, Romeo’s killing Tybalt and Paris is a tragic flaw of the character Romeo. The central theme of the play is the romance, love between Romeo and Juliet. Their passionate between each other brings chaos and death to their lives. Also, they were known with loyalty to their families. But their powerful love overcomes all the situations about their family. O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet. (59) Juliet is a young girl who falls in love with Romeo. She is an intelligent, strong and loyal character to her love Romeo. Also she kills herself out of a strong love for her love Romeo. This indicates her position in the patriarchal society. Her adolescene represents her position as a tragic heroine. Her excesive love for Romeo gives her strength, so she takes decisions against to her family. She is more considerate than their peers.

Romeo is a young boy, who at first seems as melancholic. Because he is in love with Rosalinda. When he falls in love with Juliet he becomes much more ambitious and calm. When his love Juliet dies he poisons himself too, which shows his true love for Juliet. Both Romeo and Juliet is the protagonist of the play. But killing themselves makes them tragic flaw. The difference between them is that Romeo is like a stupid character who quick fells in love to everyone. But Juliet is portrayed as an intelligent, naïve, loyal character. The importance of chorus in the play is to give information to the audience about the play. Another important role is in the nurse character. She is like a mother to Juliet. She appears as a comic character. She likes to talk a lot and she supports Juliet’s decisions.

The play is about the conflict between the main characters love, darkness, power. The conflict between Tybalt and Romeo is a fighting man versus man. Juliet has an internal conflict whether to be on Romeo’s side or Tybalt’s. She chooses Romeo because she must be a good wife and support him. Another conflict is when Lord Capulet considers to marrying both Juliet and Paris she pretends like kills herself. Fights against to her family. Romeo and Juliet always met at the dark. The dark symbolizes hate between these two families. Also, the ark helps Romeo and Juliet to cover their love. The poison that Romeo takes from the pharmacist is what brings the play tragic end. The poison symbolizes the extent of the love of Romeo to Juliet. In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet are still relevant and important to people’s lives. Shakespeare’s use of language, the characters, vows, violence, paradoxes shows the attitudes and importance of the time. We can consider also as a family issue. Still today many young girls are forced to marry with the men, that they do not love or know them. The love of Romeo and Juliet it had been an inspiration for many years. Their excessive love to each other and eath for each other shows importance role of man and women against to society and to their family in that time.