Romeo and Juliet - The manifestation of conflict

“My only love sprung from my only hate...”

This quote taken from the tragedy of "Romeo and Juliet" is particularly meaningful because it already suggests the main theme of the entire work, which is precisely 'conflict'.

While I was doing my research work on the most famous play written by William Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet", I was literally impressed by how Shakespeare incorporates this very intricate theme by addressing it through the use of characters and the different situations that take place within the work.

As with many of Shakespeare’s works, the theme of conflict is a strong one. The play mainly focuses on the tragic lives of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet: the two characters belong respectively to the Montague and Capulet households, which have held ongoing grudges against each other for years. The play ends with both main characters committing suicide.

Despite the obvious conflict between the pair of families, Shakespeare still shows the conflict from different perspectives and in other ways, such as the conflict between parent and child, or inner conflict, which is particurarly thought provoking.

Of course, there are other themes included within the play, and these often inter-relate or contrast with the prevailing theme. For example, there is the relatively strong theme of love, mostly between Romeo and Juliet: however, this is affected by the conflict between Lord Capulet and Juliet, Romeo and Tybalt. These conflicts are making Romeo and Juliet relationship a struggle; this is particularly vital to the play’s storyline. So therefore, without this element of conflict, the storyline is less effective.

Before I explain the current issue I’ve been working on, I would like to explain the reasons why I chose this work. Firstly I chose this masterpiece because I think it's the romantic play "par excellence". Secondly Romeo and Juliet are the symbol of eternal love.