How does Shakespeare present conflict?
This extract is taken from Act I Scene I of the play. Just before this extract, the servants of the Montague and Capulet family have been speaking rudely to one another.
Enter Benvolio.
GREGORY
Say “better,” here comes one of my master’s kinsmen.
SAMPSON
Yes, better, sir.
ABRAM
You lie.
SAMPSON
Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy washing blow.
They fight.
BENVOLIO
Part, fools!
Put up your swords, you know not what you do.
Beats down their swords.
Enter Tybalt.
TYBALT
What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?
Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death.
BENVOLIO
I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.
TYBALT
What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.
Have at thee, coward!
They fight.
Enter three or four Citizens with clubs or partisans.
CITIZENS OF VERONA
Clubs, bills, and partisans! Strike! Beat them down!
Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues!
Enter old Capulet in his gown, and his wife, Lady Capulet.
CAPULET
What noise is this? Give me my long sword ho!
LADY CAPULET
A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword?
CAPULET
My sword, I say! Old Montague is come,
And flourishes his blade in spite of me.
Enter old Montague and his wife, Lady Montague.
MONTAGUE
Thou villain Capulet!—Hold me not, let me go.
LADY MONTAGUE
Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe.
Starting with this extract, explore how Shakespeare presents conflict in Romeo and Juliet.
You should explore:
[30 marks]
[4 SPAG]
Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is about how strong emotions have tragic consequences. Throughout the play, Shakespeare explores how strong, uncontrollable anger and violence can worsen conflict. He also explores how conflict is linked to honour and masculinity. The male characters in the play are often driven by a fear of appearing cowardly; they fight to defend the honour of their family name in order to prove how manly they are. Shakespeare could therefore be challenging traditional ideas about masculinity, suggesting that this only leads to conflict and tragedy.
In the extract, Shakespeare explores how conflict can arise as a result of traditional views of masculinity. In line 8 of the extract, Shakespeare has Sampson say to Benvolio and Tybalt ‘draw, if you be the men’. In other words, he is asking them to draw their swords and fight. Shakespeare’s use of the words ‘if you be men’ indicate that a man would be considered a coward if he did not fight when challenged, reflecting a traditional Elizabethan attitude towards masculinity. This can also be seen through the way Lord Capulet and Lord Montague respond when they enter the stage. Shakespeare has Lord Capulet shout ‘give me my long sword’ as soon as he enters the stage and witnesses the fighting. It is clear that Lord Capulet plans to join in the fight. Contrary to the behaviour that we might expect of an older and wiser character, Lord Capulet only seeks to worsen the conflict, rather than seeking peace. It seems to be instinctive for Lord Capulet to fight in this situation, which would indicate that he too risks being seen as a coward for not fighting. By opening with this conflict between the Montague and the Capulet families and by including characters of all generations in the fight, Shakespeare demonstrates how strong the feud is between the two families and how much it disrupts the peace in Verona.
Also in the extract, Shakespeare explores the danger of strong anger through the character of Tybalt. In line 22-23, Shakespeare has Tybalt state that he hates the idea of peace as much as he ‘hates hell, all Montagues and thee’. In other words, Tybalt is stating that he hates the idea of peace as much as he hates the idea of being sent to hell and as much as he hates the Montague family. Shakespeare’s repetition of the word ‘hate’ in this quotation emphasises the anger in Tybalt’s character. It is as if he is consumed by the hate he feels for the Montagues and is unwilling to consider resolving the feud. His anger and hate are only heightened through the contrast Shakespeare creates with Benvolio, who asks the servants to ‘part’ and put down their swords. Shakespeare’s choice to present Tybalt as such a hateful character the first time the audience meets him foreshadows later events, as it could be argued that Tybalt’s hate triggers all of the tragic events in the play. Perhaps Shakespeare is warning of the dangers of being consumed by such strong and violent hate.
In the play as a whole, Shakespeare explores how honour, linked to masculinity, can have tragic consequences. After the Capulet ball, Tybalt wants to fight Romeo because he is very angry that Romeo attended uninvited. When Tybalt asks Romeo to fight, Shakespeare has Romeo say to Tybalt that he ‘loves’ him. This response is extremely shocking to both Tybalt and Mercutio because Tybalt is supposed to be Romeo’s enemy. Shakespeare makes clear that Mercutio is extremely angry with Romeo by having him say that this refusal to fight is ‘vile submission’. Shakespeare’s use of the word ‘vile’ indicates that Mercutio is disgusted by Romeo’s choice not to fight. An Elizabethan audience may have understood Mercutio’s reaction because, at the time the play was written, it would have seemed cowardly and dishonourable for a man to refuse to fight to defend his family name. Whereas Romeo now thinks only of his love for Juliet, Mercutio still thinks of male honour. As a result, Mercutio steps in to fight and dies. Perhaps Shakespeare presents Mercutio in this way to show his audience that a traditional view of what made someone ‘manly’ could lead to unnecessary fighting
In the play as a whole, Shakespeare explores the danger of acting quickly upon strong emotions through the character of Romeo. After Mercutio is killed by Tybalt, Shakespeare has Romeo state ‘fire eyed fury be my conduct now’. Shakespeare’s use of imagery associated with fire helps us to imagine that Romeo’s body is filled with passionate rage, which he impulsively acts upon without considering the consequences threatened by Prince Escalus in the opening scene of the play. Romeo often struggles to regulate his emotions and is a character who feels very deeply. In this instance, Romeo is motivated by his love for his loyal friend Mercutio and his fury towards Tybalt for killing him. Romeo’s actions result in his banishment, which takes him further away from Juliet and even closer to their tragic deaths. Shakespeare could therefore be warning against acting upon such strong emotions without thinking, as the result is only tragedy.