Examples Of Juxtaposition In Romeo And Juliet

Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century, there is consistent theme of conflict featured in terms of both mental, physical and emotional means. The way this dispute is embodied throughout the duration of the play alternates subject to subject to the character in question- but can be represented through many means.
To further highlight the characteristics of dispute- conflict is often placed in juxtaposition to its opposite- love, to emphasize and indicate the extremity of the aforementioned. Many character's dialogue gives prominence to these striking opposites in the form of antithesis. These two attributes are almost conflicting themselves, with constant alternation between the pure and innocent form of love, and the fiery presence of conflict. It is also very apparent that Shakespeare has attempted to almost 'assign' each character's personality to one of the antitheses, and it is often when these contrasting persona encounter one another, that a conflictual situation arises.
The audience learns in the prologue, recited by the chorus, that at the centre of the play are two opposing families, locked in a bitter feud. The audience

are informed by the chorus that the original reason for this feud is unknown, and from the prologue featuring the speech 'from ancient grudge' the audience can understand that the conflict between the two families has stood for a long time. The line 'where civil blood makes civil hands unclean' gives the audience the impression that they can anticipate some physical contact between the two families. In this way, Shakespeare has used the prologue to foreshadow the later events in the play.
In the prologue, the letter 'F' is repeated several times at the start of a word. We can hear this in the line 'from forth the fatal loins of these two foes.' This technique is used to intensify the meaning and importance of a sentence, and to help it 'stick' in the audience's mind. In this sentence the word fatal is emphasised, meaning 'death'. To use this word in the opening verse of the play sets the events of the story, and provides a foreboding sense of death to the audience. This is extremely effective at building up an atmosphere of doom upon the play.
Act 1, Scene 1, is set in a public area in Verona, Italy. An important feature of this scene is that it occurs in a public place; as Shakespeare has chosen this setting carefully to implicate that the violence, drama, and occurrences in the play involve a whole community. To further implicate the idea of public fighting, it is stated in the stage notations that the servants of the Capulet house, Sampson and Gregory, carry onto stage their swords and bucklers. This suggests that, as Verona is an area of such conflict due to the tension of the Montagues and Capulets, and that violence has been known to break out in public, the residents feel the need to carry weapons on their person for defence reasons. This fact further supports the idea that the conflict impacts everyone in Verona.
Tybalt’s personality is that of a fiery one.

In comparison to Benvolio, they are highly divergent characters. Benvolio’s personality is one of peace and wellbeing, and his character is in juxtaposition to that of Tybalt’s. It is evident from the moment Tybalt first spoke in act 1 scene 1 that he is violent and enjoys fighting. His first line being ‘What, art though drawn amongst these heartless hinds?’ referring to Benvolio’s involvement in a fight between the servants, further implicates that Tybalt is regularly focused on violence and fighting. The line that further implicates his passion for conflict is at the moment when he discusses the topic of ‘peace’. Tybalt, on the subject of this word, says ‘I hate the word, as I hate hell’, suggesting that he has a passionate dislike for

amity.
A prominent emotion throughout Romeo and Juliet is passion- which is paramount, as it can be the key emotion that proves to be a catalyst to many of the many of the most important scenes throughout the play. Frequently, passion can ‘run wild’, and can result in loss of control, which inevitably leads to conflict in the tense situation it arises in.