Violence and conflict
Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare is the most famous playwright in the world, but not all the facts of his life are known. We do know that he was both born in 1564 and buried in 1616 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire; Shakespeare was one of eight children, the first son of Mary and John Shakespeare. His father was a prosperous worker with, and seller of, leather goods such as gloves. At the time of Shakespeares birth, John was an increasingly important man in the community, becoming an alderman and high bailiff (i.e. the mayor) of Stratford. By the time William was in his teens, the family fortunes had declined and his father was in debt. Gland an area of countryside and agriculture.
When Shakespeare was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway from the nearby village of Shottery; she was eight years older than William. The Bishop of Worcester issued a special marriage license in November 1582, as there was not time for the calling of banns three times the haste was because Anne was already three months pregnant. In May 1583 their first child, Susanna, was born and two years later they had twins, Hamlet and Judith. There have been many theories about what Shakespeare did for a living as a young man in Stratford; some suggest he was a schoolmaster. There is also a well-known legend that he had to leave the town after poaching deer.
Nothing is known for certain about his life after marriage, except for the births of his children, until he turns up in London in 1592, having left Anne and the children behind in Stratford. But in 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in approximately 1595, England had a great deal in common with fourteenth-century Italy, the era in which the play takes place. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
London at the time was a walled city of about 200,000, with seven gates providing access to the city from the east, north and west. It was considered small and was criss-crossed by narrow little streets and lanes. The various wards each had a parish church that dominated the life of the close-knit community. To the south and outside were slums and criminal hangouts, and further out were huge estates and the agricultural lands. As the increased and the central area declined, the fashionable people moved to the west of the city, near where the palace of Westminster lay. Houses were rented out floor by floor and even room by room. Even within the city slums were common, although they were close to pleasant enough streets and squares. England was not a clean
place; neither were its people.
The action takes place in Verona in Italy in the early 1500 In Verona, Italy in the late 1500's, two powerful families the Montagues and the Capulets have been feuding with each other for years. Old Capulet, Juliet's father, throws a party to which he invites all his friends. The Montagues are not invited of course, but Romeo devises a plan to get a look at Rosaline; a young girl he has been pursing. He disguises himself and slips into the party. Once inside, his attention is stolen; not by Rosaline, but by Juliet. Romeo falls instantly in love, but is disappointed when he finds out that Juliet is a Capulet. Juliet notices Romeo too, but she is unaware that he is a member of the hated Montagues. Not able to believe that the one who caught her eye is a member of the enemy family, Juliet goes out onto her balcony to tell the stars about her strong but forbidden love.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy of romance. Both the protagonists die by the time the curtain falls for the last time. Shakespeare might have written this drama to caution all youngsters prone to fall in love at the flicker of a smile that sometimes the lovers may have to pay for their love with their lives. It is also possible that Shakespeare settled for a gory ending to his play presumably because he preferred untimely death of lovers to death of love over time.
Another plausible reason could be his unhappy marriage with Anne Hathaway, who was senior to him in age. This must have turned him into a sadist, who simply didn't tolerate happy chirping lovers.
Most scholars have based it on one of the settings in one of the Acts where a nurse speaks about a disastrous earthquake. The quake mentioned actually happened eleven years before the tragedy was written. It was the earthquake that happened in England in the sixteenth century.
Shakespeare based his most popular tragedy, ROMEO AND JULIET, on two very real people. These young lovers lived in Verona, Italy (just like his characters) and died in a real-life tragic love story in 1303. The Capulet and Montague families were prominent citizens of Verona at the time.
Italian travelling theatre companies performed the drama throughout Europe and England. Shakespeare may have attended a play. A master dramatist, Shakespeare may have used the two feuding families to symbolize others. The feud itself is one of the central themes and conflicts of the play. Possibly, the contrast between tyrannical Capulet and emotional Montague could point to the Renaissance theme of reason vs. faith and feeling. The two clans might stand for fighting royal families, in England, Italy, or elsewhere in Europe. Perhaps the Capulet-Montague conflict recalled the War of the Roses (1455-1485) in England, when the Houses of York and Lancaster battled for the British throne. It may have symbolized the Tudor-Stuart struggle as well. By setting the play in Italy, instead of England, Shakespeare would have eluded direct political criticism from his own countrymen. Shakespeare may have desired to highlight the religious conflicts (Catholic to Protestant) of his post-Reformation era. English monarchs were still redefining official faith and church status in Shakespeare's time.
Apparently, Shakespeare uncovered their story in literature. A poem, "The Tragically History of Romeos and Juliet," by Arthur Brooke, was written in 1562. William Painter, a prosiest, penned "The Goodly History of the True and Constant Love of Romeo and Juliet. Mateo Bandello had written a novella of the story in 1554, revising Luigi ad Porto's "Gillette e Romeo" ("Juliet and Romeo"). Even earlier, Masaccio Salernitano had recounted the story of the tragic young lovers in "Mariott and Gianozza of Siena" in 1476.
Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet deals with the central themes of love and conflict through all the characters. We see the themes of love mainly through Romeo and Juliet, and we see the theme of conflict mainly through the two families the Montagues and Capulets. Many different themes come together including violence and conflict between the two families, death and sacrifice for love.
The play opens with Romeo discussing love in terms of his love for Rosaline. When Romeo says, in sadness cousin, I love a woman, we can see from language he uses that he is in love with Rosaline. We are also introduced to the theme of conflict in this scene through the fight in the street between the Montagues and the Capulets. Gregory, servant of the Capulets says, drag thy tool, here comes of the house of Montague. This gives us the strong feeling of hate between the two families.
We see the language of love exchanged between Romeo and Juliet in the balcony scene (act two, scene two) when Romeo speaks of, a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek! this shows that he will do anything to be with her. Another scene where the theme of love is strong is in act three, scene five, the final farewell of Romeo and Juliet. Here they discuss not wanting to part, for example, Juliet says, therefore stay yet, thon needst not be gone. This suggests that they dont want to leave each other. Act thee scene one is clearly showing conflict where both Tybalt and Mercutio are killed.
In this scene there are several examples of love such as Capulet and Juliet, Juliet and her nurse, Romeo and Juliet. For example, Romeo says, Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I neer saw such true beauty till this night. This suggests that he has fallen in love at first sight. We also see the language of conflict in this scene, for example, this, by his voice, should be a Montague fetch me my peppier, boy. This shows that Tybalt is very angry with a Montague being at the party and wants to put his sword through him. This type of language suggests to an audience that something will happen later in the play. Shakespeare also uses religious metaphors to show how pure and sacred the love is, Juliet says, good pilgrim. When talking to him she implies that she is devoted.
Act 3 scene 1 is a very important scene in Romeo and Juliet this is because after this scene is where the main factors of they plat occur, this is tragedy, heart break and death. Before this scene Romeo a Montague and Juliet a Capulet get married in secret. However the Montague family and the Capulet family do not get along and have an Ancient feud which has been going on for many years.
Act 3 scene 1 is set in a public place in the streets of Verona. Even though one of the main characters Juliet is not in this scene, it plays a great influence on what happens to the future of her and husband Romeo. The scene starts of very calm with the cousin of Romeo, Benvolio and Romeos best friend Mercutio, they are aware of the presents of the Capulets but do not take notice to them. From the start we are given the personalities of Mercutio and Benvolio , we can see that Benvolio is a man of peace he states I pray thee good mercutio lets retire; the day is hot and the Capulets abroad, and if we meet up we will not escape a brawl from this we see that he is a peace keeper however mercutio then says that Benvolio is looking for a trouble and one to start a fight, why thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath more hair or less hair in his beard than thou hast from this conversation we see that they both have different views. We see that Benvolio throughout the play tries to keep the peace even in the first meeting we see in act 1 scene 1 between the Montagues and the Capulets were he says I do but keep the peace when he tries to stop the servants of the Montagues and Capulets fighting.
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