The Opening Monologue Of William Shakespeare 's Romeo And Juliet

The Hostility Between the 'Montagues' and the 'Capulets' in Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare William Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet has a major theme of conflict. The main conflict in the play is the feud between the two wealthy families: the ‘Montagues’ and the ‘Capulets’. Shakespeare does not state the reason for the hostility between the two families. Shakespeare may have done this to indicate how long the feud has been going for. Shakespeare creates conflicts between characters in the play.

In this essay I will address how conflict is successfully used in Act 1 Scene 1 to prepare the audience for the rest of the play. It will firstly show how Shakespeare uses physical conflict between the two feuding families. Secondly I will demonstrate the idea that Shakespeare introduces emotional conflict through the character of Romeo, and his outpourings of love for Rosaline. Finally I will show that the character of Romeo demonstrates both physical or external conflict and emotional or internal conflict. The purpose of the prologue is to clearly outline the plot of the whole play in fourteen lines and it also allows the audience to be settled before the actual play

Juliet is introduced into the play in act one scene three, as an innocent, obedient, and respectful adolescent. Her polite response to her

As the party nears to end, Juliet finds out from the Nurse that Romeo is a Montague, and to her demise that she was loving an enemy. Juliet exacerbates and ponders whether loving Romeo was the valid choice or not. This can be evidently seen when the Nurse reveals the identity of Romeo to Juliet “His name is Romeo, and a Montague, The only son of your great enemy “ ( Shakespeare, Act 1). While the Nurse had told to Juliet that Romeo is the son of your great enemy, it clearly shows that Juliet is not allowed to be around him and should not love him for the sake of her family, yet she still knows and believes that she loves him. Her insidious love towards Romeo can be seen in the quote “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 loathèd enemy “ ( Shakespeare, Act 1). This clarifies that she is aware that she is loving an enemy and which she refuses to stop loving him when she should, but she knows that she can’t easily subside her feelings for

Furthermore, Romeo starts the whole tragedy. True, Juliet acts naïve, nonetheless Romeo acts hastily by encouraging the relationship. Prior to Romeo and Juliet’s encounter, Romeo is in an infatuation with Rosaline. In Act 1.1, Romeo depicts Rosaline's beauty and says, "She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair." Romeo’s love for Rosaline is only skin deep and

‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare incorporates the theme of conflict through many different characters and situations. The definition of conflict is “a fight, battle, or struggle; especially a prolonged struggle; strife” The play mainly focuses on the tragic lives of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet; the two characters belong to the Montague and Capulet households respectively, which have held ongoing grudges against each other for years. The play ends with both main characters committing suicide, to be together in heaven. As with many of Shakespeare’s works, the theme of conflict is a strong one. For a start, there is the ongoing conflict between the two families; the Montagues and the Capulets. The audience is unsure how this

However, at the party he meets Juliet for the first time, and immediately falls in love with her: “Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” Romeo, who was in love with Rosaline until a moment ago, completely forgets about her and is now all focused on Juliet. But what is very surprising is not the fact that he is in love with his enemy’s daughter, the astonishing thing is the speed at which he falls in love with her. Soon, in fact, he and Juliet kiss each other: “Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.” However, Romeo’s characteristics to love so deeply Juliet is just a symbol of his lacking the capacity of moderation for intense feelings of all kind. Had Romeo stopped himself from being so deeply caught up by Juliet’s beauty, the tragedy would have never happened.

Romeo, you see, may have possibly convinced himself that he loved Juliet. We all know that our friends do influence our decisions, and Benvolio’s constant nagging about finding a new love may have taken its toll on Romeo.

Romeo’s speech identifies to the audience for the first time, how Romeo feels about Juliet. That Juliet’s beauty is unmatched by those in the room and that Romeo has never loved before but he now thinks he has found her, Juliet the one. At this point the audience realises just what type of love and passion Romeo feels for Juliet. This event adds much more dramatic effect and intensifies the scene. At this instant a height of drama is achieved, but Shakespeare lifts it higher with a stronger and more hating speech, that of Tybalt’s.

At the beginning of the play, Romeo is infatuated with Rosaline. When Montague’s nephew, Benvolio, comes home from a fight with the Capulets’ servants, his aunt Lady Montague tells him about how her son Romeo, has been in a melancholic mood, walking alone in the gardens. Benvolio promises Lady Montague that he would find out what is troubling his cousin, Romeo. Not one who is interested in fighting, Romeo is preoccupied by what he thinks is love and begins to confide in Benvolio that he is madly in love

When Romeo first laid his eyes on Juliet, he instantly fell in love and his feelings began to pour out. The description of Juliet by Romeo continues, as he compares her to a beautiful dove and all the other ladies around her to awkward crows. Instantly, every women, including Rosaline, became irrelevant to Romeo. All he desired and all he could focus on at that moment was, Juliet, the woman he knew he was destined to marry. Romeo had been trapped in a deep depression a few hours before he laid his eyes on Juliet, Romeo's feelings drastically change once he sees Juliet which proves to be love at first sight. Romeos early display of affection presents him as a man who is in love with the idea of love, and in turn allows audiences to like for him, just as they imagine he would for them. Although Romeo's character was introduced a few scenes prior, he was depressed and not himself. So, the moment he met Juliet for the first time it was also the moment the audience met the real Romeo for the first time.

During some of part one, and two, we slowly learn about Romeo and his dilemma. He has fallen in love with beautiful Rosaline and all of his heart is crying out to her. He vows to never see a beauty as fair as her, and complains about the rudeness and pain of love. He allows himself to go to the party with Mercutio and his friends, but remarks he won't have a good time. "I'll go along, no such sight to be shown, But to rejoice in a splendor of mine own."  That is until he sees Juliet. Instantly he forgets all of his lamenting for Rosaline love, and proclaims Juliet is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. "O! she doth teach the torches to burn bright. It seems she hangs on the cheek of night, like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

Romeo labels his feelings towards Juliet as “love”, although he has not gotten the opportunity to learn about her personality. This indicates that what he feels about her was entirely formed by her physical beauty rather than genuine feelings. Evidently, sexual desires seemed to be his ulterior motive for marrying her, instead of committing to love, care, and cherish her till death do them apart.

Rosaline is aware of Romeos ‘feelings’ towards her and spurns his advances, yet Romeo takes this rejection as encouragement and continues to attempt to woo her. These are strong features of courtly love. Paris treats his ‘love’ in a different manner, but the same features are there. He goes to meet Lord Capulet and arranges to marry Juliet, although he has never met her.

tone of the play has changed, with the tragedy of Act 3, Scene 1 fresh