Violent Scenes in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Violent Scenes in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

"Romeo and Juliet" is a tragic play, which is about a feud between two

families of Verona, causing the deaths of two young lovers. This is

apparent in the haunting opening passage of the play - "Two

households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, from ancient grudge

break to new mutiny where civil blood makes civil hands unclean"

Although it is a play about love there are many scenes that contain

violence and conflict.

The play opens with a feud between the Capulets and Montagues and ends

with the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

The violence in the play happens because of a long standing feud

between two families, which leads to the couple's tragic deaths.

In this essay I will discuss the violence and conflict in the play,

Romeo and Juliet.

"Romeo and Juliet" was written by William Shakespeare and was first

preformed in 1594. It is set in the 16th century. People in the 16th

century were fond of any sort of entertainment, they particularly

liked watching plays. It was important for Shakespeare to make his

plays as exciting as possible, because they had to appeal to all types

of audiences. An audience in the 16th century would have liked the

mixture of tensions of hot blooded sword play, romance by moonlight

and bawdy comedy in the market place, the ingredients that make a good

film or play nowadays.

In act 1, scene 1, fighting breaks out between the Capulets and

Montagues and the Prince must intervene to stop them. Romeo's parents

are worried about his strange behaviour, but he explains to his friend

Benvolio that he is in love with Rosaline.

Sampson and G...

... middle of paper ...

...at this, so she

decides the only person she can turn to for help is Friar Lawrence.

She feels totally isolated by the harshness of her mother's words, her

father's violent threats and her nurse's apparent betrayal.

If I had to direct Act 3, scene 5, I would use a modern setting. The

stage would look like a modern flat with modern furniture. The

audience would be able to see the high-rise building through the

window. Lord Capulet would not hit Juliet, but he would shout loudly

at her. Juliet would stand up to him. I would do this to show how

strong she is in this scene.

I think Romeo and Juliet is a tragic play. Although it is focused on

the romance between Romeo and Juliet, there is still a lot of violence

throughout the play mainly involving the Capulets and Montagues, and

finally the deaths of the two lovers.