The Manifestation of Conflict throughout Romeo and Juliet

Written by William Shakespeare, the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a heartbreaking story about two young star-crossed lovers who belong to two different noble conflicting families, and therefore are unable to be together. Despite them not being able to be together, they decide to intertwine their love for each other through secretive matrimony. Throughout the story of Romeo and Juliet there is a constant theme of conflict which manifests itself through physical conflicts such as the feuds and quarrels between the two families, as well as internal conflicts such as Romeo and Juliet’s affections for each other which collides with the responsibilities and duties towards their families. The major foundational conflict throughout the whole story is the constant dispute and fighting between the Montague and the Capulet families; the two families are in a bitter feud which according to the prologue has lasted for several generations. This “ancient grudge” and deep hate between the families affects not just whole of Verona but also Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other. Shakespeare immaculately heightens the intensity of these conflicts throughout the story with his brilliant usage of stylistic devices, themes and imagery.

An oxymoron is a figure of speech which produces a self-contradiction, and contains two descriptive words which oppose each other in meaning. Shakespeare commonly used this stylistic feature throughout the whole story of Romeo and Juliet, and one might even describe the relation between Romeo and Juliet as an oxymoron; two people from two different opposing families. The two subjects do not fit together what so ever, still, they find a way to embrace and love each other, similarly to how two opposing words in an oxym...

... middle of paper ...

...deployed well thought out, intricate and complex stylistic features which heighten the intensity and creates tension in the reader as well as the audience. A wide variety of immaculate metaphors adds intricacy and depth to the feelings conveyed; the beauty of love is augmented by the ravishing grammatical perfection. Furthermore, the oxymoronic phrases and antitheses impact the story beautifully; the conflicts between emotions and words heighten the conflicts between the characters in the story and even the plot itself. From the very beginning of the story, the audience is put into an omnipotent position, thoughts on free will and fate are encouraged and makes the individual have deep philosophical conflicts; can we control our destiny? Do our actions affect our fate? Maybe, just maybe, the word fate is a synonym for consequences in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.