They were lovers, but also enemies (Question 5)

According to Romeo and Juliet, the two families in Verona were enemies, “where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” (Act1 the prologue line 4). The whole story was a tragedy that the lovers died because of the feud. It’s actually the feud that made the tragedy started. The intolerant between the two families forced the young couples hide the truth of their marriage and forced them to the depth of despair. In my perspective, the feud is the reason that Romeo had been banished and Juliet was forced to marry Paris in case to cause the tragedy that they both died; the story tells that people need to have civility or it would cause the tragedy like this.

Firstly, the biggest turning point of the book, which was Tybalt and Mercutio’s death, was definitely caused by the feud. It’s because of Tybalt hate Romeo who entered the ball of Capulet, so that he decided to kill Tybalt. Why did Tybalt so angry with that? It’s because of the feud of the families. Since Montague and Capulet were enemies, Tybalt and Romeo were enemies. Then, the truth that Tybalt killed Mercutio made Romeo crazy to kill Tybalt. Mercutio said, “I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o’s both your houses” when he was about to die (Act 3 scene1 line 103-104). He cursed both of the houses because their feud made he die, and their feud made Romeo had to kill Tybalt to comfort Mercutio’s soul. Thus, Romeo was banished, and it’s the feud, that made them keep on quarrelling with each other, and even kill each other to cause the tragedy.

On the other hand, the feud made Juliet feel afraid to tell her parents the truth that she had already married with Romeo. Since the families were enemies, if Capulet and Lady Capulet found that Juliet has already married with Romeo, they would send her to be a null immediately. Thus, Juliet was kind of desperate that time that she couldn’t tell anything about her marriage and she was going to send to marry with another man. Also, the nurse, the only person that new the truth, even encourage her to marry with Paris. Then, she said, “Be not so long to speak. I long to die if what thou speak’st speak not of remedy” to Friar Lawrence (Act four scene 1 line 67,68). Her only choice in her perspective was to die because of the hate between the family and her love to Romeo. Juliet was truly desperate because of the feud.

Then, in the story, since the families didn’t have civility, the tragedy formed. They were kind of rude that when Tybalt first saw Romeo, the only thing in his mind was to kick him out of the ball. It’s because Tybalt didn’t have civility, so that he couldn’t even wait to kill Romeo. People that didn’t have civility were brutal and uncivilized. They didn’t give any routes to retreat for their opponents, so that they would gave their selves no ways to retreat. Since Tybalt kill Mercutio and Capulet wanted Romeo to be banished, their cruel to Romeo caused the same cruel to Juliet, their daughter, and caused the tragedy.

Admittedly, it’s the feud, that’s in the middle of the family keep the lovers far away from each other and finally died. That was a tragic ending. Thus, I wish people would think more before they were going to do any decisions without civility and I wish the feud wouldn’t be difficult to step over between lovers with true love.

Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Washington Square Published by Pocket, 1992. Print.