Theme Of Hate In Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet: A Story of Hate When most read the story of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, their initial impression is that it is a beautiful romance about two star-crossed lovers whose lives end in tragedy. However, upon closer examination it becomes clear that the underlying theme of this story is the consequence of hate and prejudice. From the start, the play is filled with scenes which display the seemingly unfounded hatred between the Montague and Capulet households. This hatred is what keeps Romeo and Juliet from being together, and is what ultimately brings their deaths. The first scene in this story is also the first example we see of the hatred the Montague and Capulet families have for each other. In this

Two young people who have reached the age that their families are now ready for them to be married. Juliet is willing to get married but simply does not know any men she would be willing to marry at the moment. Romeo, on the other hand, is languishing in love with a woman named Rosaline and has begun to give up. It is at this point that Mercutio, Romeo’s closest friend, urges him to attend a masquerade ball at the Capulet’s house so he may meet some new women and hopefully forget about Rosaline. It is through this that Romeo and Juliet finally meet for the first time in Scene 5 of Act 1. In this scene we see what seems to be a great scene of love and romance. But when examined more closely the theme of hatred is still present and greatly affects both characters. Romeo and his friends are successful in sneaking into the ball because of their masks. Romeo sees Juliet for the first time and is astounded by her beauty. They dance with each other for a while and kiss, but it is not until after this that they each learn the other is from their enemy’s family. Their families’ hatred affects them both and they are both greatly troubled as they leave the party. However Romeo cannot stand with never seeing her again and sneaks away to see Juliet again standing at her balcony. In this scene, which is iconic for its beautiful, romantic poetry, Juliet says how unfounded and prejudice this hate is. “ 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy. Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name!” In this monologue Juliet shows exactly how immature this hatred