Love always seems to be a huge conflict in love stories. It is never easy. There might be the “perfect” love in a romantic movie or book, but it is never smooth sailing. There is always an issue. The couple fights, or there is something keeping them apart, or someone cheats, something is always conflicting in the love. Usually, the people find love, lose it (the conflict causes this), and then get back together and have a super happy ending. Although Shakespeare makes Romeo and Juliet’s love bound to end in death, he still makes the conflict of their love one of the main conflicts in the book. The biggest conflict in “Romeo and Juliet” is not only the feud between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s, but the fight for Romeo and Juliet’s love. Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet face obstacles such as family rivalries and social expectations in the fight for their love. Ultimately, they are not successful and the struggle to be together ends in death, the obstacles were simply too difficult to overcome.
Romeo and Juliet’s fight for love is as big a conflict as the feud between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. In the play, Romeo and Juliet’s love is very present, and so is their struggle to be together. The feud between the Montague’s and Capulet’s is also present, but not in detail, it is just the underlying cause of all the other conflicts. Also, the fight between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s is not even explained. Shakespeare does explain that they have this ancient grudge against each other, but he does not explain why they do. Shakespeare says, (prologue.5-6) “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,” by this he means that the enemies both had children, and then they fell in love and were forced to take their lives because of their parent’s feud, this shows that their love is now a feud. Since the prologue shortly explains everything that goes on in the play, this further proves the fact that the whole play is about them falling in love, trying to make it work, and then dying. This concludes that Romeo and Juliet’s is a huge conflict in the play “Romeo and Juliet”.
Family rivalries are one of the obstacles Romeo and Juliet face in their fight for love. Their family’s rivalry forbids their love. In (prologue.1-4) it says, “Two households, both alike in dignity (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” Shakespeare is saying that there is this huge rivalry that makes all of the town people fight. Clearly, if these two families are such rivals then they would definitely not want their children being together. There are also other small rivalries that come between Romeo and Juliet’s love. For example the rivalry between Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, and Mercutio, Romeo’s kinsman. Tybalt ends up killing Mercutio because they hate each other so much. In (3.1.93-95), Mercutio dies and his final words are, “I am hurt. A plague o’ both your houses. I am sped. Is he gone and hath nothing?” cursing the households of the Montague’ and Capulet’s. This then causes Romeo to kill Tybalt, out of anger. When his act of crime gets him banished, he can no longer be with his love Juliet. Then Romeo and Juliet make their plan to run away together, this plan fails because of a misunderstanding. As you can see, the rivalry leads to the end of the lovers love and lives.
Another obstacle they have to face in the fight for their love is the social expectations of both Romeo and Juliet. In the play, since Juliet is in a very high class, she is expected to marry a very high class man. Her parents set her up with the very rich Paris. She is expected to love him and marry him, but as you know, she has her love set on Romeo. In (3.5.117-120), Lady Capulet is telling Juliet about how she has to get married to Paris, “Marry, my child, early next Thursday morn the gallant, young, and noble gentleman, The County Paris, at Saint Peter’s Church shall make thee there a joyful bride.” These plans interrupt with Romeo and Juliet’s plans to run away together. Romeo also faces some social expectations. In the beginning of act 2 scene 4, Romeo’s friend Mercutio is very suspicious and angry about where Romeo has been and why he ditched them. He says “Where the devil should this Romeo be? Came he not home tonight?” (2.4.1-2) We know that he has been with Juliet though. He mainly does not tell them because he does not want it getting around town, because then they definitely will not be able to be together because of the forbiddance by their parents. From Juliet’s commitment to Paris and Romeo’s suspicious friends, their love is also stopped by social expectations.
Romeo and Juliet’s fight for love is one of the biggest conflicts in the play. Many obstacles disrupt their love and the conflict is never really resolved. Shakespeare must have a reason for making this play have a tragic ending. I wonder if he was trying to send the message that young love does not end well, or that an ancient grudge cannot be broken unless something like this happens. Whatever he was trying to say, I wonder if he was trying to tell it to future generations? Whether he was or wasn't trying to do that, his message still lives on in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
