Romeo and Juliet Conflict

A specific conflict in the play Romeo and Juliet is that between the characters of Romeo and Tybalt. When Romeo comes to a party at the Capulet's house despite being a Montague, Tybalt expresses great anger at one of his enemies being present at an event held by his house. The conflict is, on a literal level, an interpersonal conflict, as it specifically concerns the two of them, but at a greater depth, it is also a multigenerational conflict, as the source of their disagreement is that of the strife between their respective house's. Major developments in the plot of the story come about from this altercation, including the death of both Tybalt and Mercutio, one of Romeo's friends, when the former challenges the lattermost to a duel. In fact, it could be argued that the eventual climax of the story is resultant of the conflict, as Tybalt's provocation causes Romeo to be banished from Verona, and thus introduces problems to the relationship of the characters Romeo and Juliet, later ending their lives. This being said, it is related to several central themes, including death because of love, as it is responsible for many instances of that throughout the play.

In our society, there are numerous cases of conflicts between pairs of individuals, whether because of a prior disagreement or a grudge. The reason could even be similar to that of the play, namely resulting from a difference in social group. Conflict generally ends with either compromise and a peaceful solution, or confrontation and violence. While in the play violence pervades the story and is how the tension between Romeo and Tybalt is broken, it is a much better choice to take the nonviolent approach in life. Many people in our society result to violence as a solution to their conflicts, and the consequence of this is nearly always harm or death. I take the philosophy that it is always important to harmonize and be positive, which helps to prevent conflict of the kinds found in Shakespeare's play.