essay on conflict in romeo and juliet

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Conflict Shown in Romeo and Juliet

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Published: Jan 29, 2024

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Table of contents

Family feuds, societal expectations, individual choices, culmination of conflict.

• Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet.
• Greenblatt, Stephen. "Teaching Romeo and Juliet in the 21st century." Shakespeare Quarterly 60.2 (2009): 220-231.
• Hopkins, Lisa. "Conflicts in Romeo and Juliet." Scribbendi , 2019, https://www.scribendi.com/advice/conflicts_in_romeo_and_juliet.en.html.

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The Conflict In Romeo And Juliet Essay Example

Conflicts between different groups can go out of hand, to the point where it can even lead to death. In “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, two houses Capulet and Montague are in Verona, when Romeo and Juliet from opposite houses fall in love and later take their own lives. One of the Capulets, Juliet, has many conflicts revolving around her. Conflict is presented through Juliet’s internal conflict when she realises that Romeo is a Montague, this leads to another conflict when Juliet and her father argue about whom to marry. After all this, Romeo and Juliet both take their own lives, and this results in the biggest conflict of all coming to an end.

When Juliet realises that Romeo is a Montague, she is forced to break her morals to marry Romeo. During the ball of the Capulets, Romeo sees Juliet, and they instantly fall in love with each other. When Juliet must leave to talk with her mother, the nurse tells her that he is “Romeo, and a Montague, the only son of [her] great enemy.”(A1/S5/L143). Juliet is surprised and realises that “[Her] only love [was] sprung from [her] only hate.” (A1/S5/L145) This juxtaposition shows the extent to which the two houses are apart. This also shows that Juliet has never loved before and the only love she has ever known is from her biggest hate. 

After Romeo and Juliet get married secretly in Act 2, Scene 5, Romeo leaves for his exile, and they say their goodbyes to each other. Then, Lady Capulet comes in and tells her that she is going to marry Count Paris not knowing that she is already married, just after, Capulet comes. When he finds out that Juliet does not wish to marry Paris, he calls her a “disobedient wretch” (A3/S5/L166) and threatens her by shouting that she can go “hang! Beg! Starve! [And] die in the streets!” (A3/S5/L203). These quotes show the degree to which Capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris, and also shows how reckless Capulet can be, even to his daughter.

Due to all this arguing, Juliet decides she can not stand this anymore and wants to take her own life. She tells Friar Laurence the cleric, but he suggests to her to drink a sleeping potion. Later, when she is alone in her room, she takes the poison and falls asleep. The next day, everyone is shocked to find Juliet dead, meanwhile, Friar Laurence sent a letter to Romeo saying that Juliet is alive, but unfortunately, Romeo did not see it. Then Balthazar who is Romeo’s servant and also does not know that Juliet is alive tells Romeo that Juliet is ‘dead’. Romeo shouts out, “I defy you, stars!” (A5/S1/L24) this refers to ‘fate versus free will’ and means that Romeo is going to refuse to follow his fate.

In the play, the conflicts are portrayed through Juliet’s internal conflict of her loving someone in the opposite house of hers and the conflict between Juliet and her father. These result in the conflict of fate versus free will and leads to Romeo and Juliet taking their own lives, therefore ending the biggest conflict of the Capulets versus the Montagues. Conflict is important to the story because it creates suspense and apprehension which makes the reader more interested, but for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the conflict is to show the hatred between the Capulets and the Montagues, this is important because this can show how harsh humans can be, therefore telling us to not hate but to be kind to one another.

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Analysis Pages

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Conflict in Romeo and Juliet

Conflict examples in romeo and juliet:, act ii - scene ii.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose(45) By any other name would smell as sweet...."   See in text   (Act II - Scene II)

Ironically in this line and the ones that follow, Juliet claims that names are superficial and unimportant in order to emphasize that Romeo can shed his name. The fixation on Romeo's name coupled with this dismissal of a name's importance demonstrates Juliet's conflict: while the name is unimportant to Juliet, it is everything to the society in which she lives.

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Act II - Scene III

"doting..."   See in text   (Act II - Scene III)

The Friar plainly presents the same problem that Juliet seems to recognize in Romeo's love: it is a doting affection situated in metaphors and the pose of love rather than actual love. It is now up to the audience to determine whether or not Juliet successfully refashioned Romeo's love in the previous scene.

• My Storyboards

Depicting Literary Conflict in Romeo and Juliet

In this activity, activity overview, template and class instructions, more storyboard that activities.

• This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides

Literary conflicts are another major element often taught during ELA units. Building on prior knowledge to achieve mastery level with our students is important. An excellent way to focus on the various types of literary conflict is through storyboarding. Having students choose an example of each Literary conflict and depict it using the storyboard creator is a great way to reinforce your lesson!

In Romeo and Juliet , conflict is not only present, but also an important recurring element. Much of the conflict arises from the haste of love-struck Romeo and his rash decisions. Other conflicts arise from hidden secrets, most notably the Friar's concealment of Romeo and Juliet's marriage. Notice the examples from the storyboard above:

Romeo and Juliet Literary Conflict Examples

MAN vs. SELF

Romeo is at war within himself over rejected feelings of deep love. His words, "Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, Still-waking sleep, that not what it is!" shows his conflicted state.

MAN vs. SOCIETY

Mercutio is a contrast to Romeo. Unlike his friend, he laughs at society's notion of love. In his "Queen Mab" speech, he constructs a satire of Romeo's love and dreams. The quote, "O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you... she gallops night by night... Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love!” exemplifies Mercutio's sarcastic nature. It is aimed at the love-struck Romeo, who is acting naive, rash, and impatient.

MAN vs. MAN

Romeo kills Tybalt out of revenge. The quote, "Curse you Romeo!" has multiple interpretations. It primarily illustrates this Man vs. Man conflict; however, it also foreshadows Romeo’s cursed fate solidifies Romeo as a tragic hero .

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that shows three forms of literary conflict in Romeo and Juliet .

• Click "Start Assignment".
• Identify conflicts in Romeo and Juliet .
• Categorize each conflict as Character vs. Character, Character vs. Self, Character vs. Society, Character vs. Nature, or Character vs. Technology .
• Illustrate conflicts in the cells, using characters from the play.
• Write a short description of the conflict below the cell.

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-10

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual or Partner

Type of Activity: Types of Literary Conflict

(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric .)

How to Teach Literary Conflict with a Focus on Character Development

Introduction to literary conflict and character development.

Start by defining the concept of literary conflict and its role in storytelling. Explain that literary conflict often drives character development by presenting challenges and choices. Provide examples of different types of conflicts (e.g., internal, external, character vs. character) and their potential impact on characters.

Reading and Identifying Conflicts in "Romeo and Juliet"

Select a passage from "Romeo and Juliet" that features significant conflicts impacting character development. Read and analyze the passage with the class, highlighting the conflicts and their effects on the characters. Encourage students to explore how the characters respond to these conflicts.

Character Development Through Storyboarding

Introduce the concept of storyboarding as a visual tool for representing literary conflicts and character development. Explain the assignment: students will select a character from "Romeo and Juliet," choose a conflict that significantly influences that character, and create a storyboard depicting the conflict and its impact on character development. Provide examples of storyboards or use a digital storyboard creator to demonstrate the process.

Storyboard Presentation and Discussion

Organize a presentation session where students share their storyboards with the class. Encourage students to explain their choices, the conflict's impact on character development, and the significance of the scenes depicted. Lead class discussions on each presentation, analyzing the various conflicts and character responses.

Frequently Asked Questions about Depicting Literary Conflict in Romeo and Juliet

What are the primary types of conflict present in "romeo and juliet," and how do they shape the narrative and characters.

The primary types of conflict in "Romeo and Juliet" are external and internal conflicts. The external conflict is the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, driving the narrative's tension and tragedy. Internal conflicts involve the characters' inner struggles, like Romeo and Juliet's love conflicting with their loyalty to their families. These conflicts shape the characters' decisions, intensify the plot's drama, and ultimately lead to the tragic resolution.

What role does the conflict of fate vs. free will play in the characters' decisions and the development of the plot?

The conflict of fate vs. free will is a central theme in the play. Characters often believe they are subject to destiny, and their decisions are influenced by this belief. Romeo and Juliet's actions are driven by their passionate love and the belief that they are meant to be together. The tension between fate and free will creates a sense of inevitability and adds to the tragic nature of the story.

In what ways does the conflict between individual desires and societal expectations manifest in the characters' actions and decisions?

The conflict between individual desires and societal expectations is evident in characters like Juliet, who defies her family's expectations to be with Romeo, and Romeo, who challenges the norms of their society. These conflicts lead to secret marriages, disobedience, and a series of tragic misunderstandings. The clash between personal desires and societal constraints underscores the play's themes of love and rebellion.

Can you recommend specific storyboard templates or worksheet formats that are well-suited for exploring the internal conflicts faced by characters like Romeo and Juliet, and how can these formats complement classroom discussions?

For exploring the internal conflicts of characters like Romeo and Juliet, storyboard templates with sections for identifying the conflict, providing textual evidence, illustrating the emotional state, and explaining the significance work well. Worksheets with tables or graphic organizers can also facilitate analysis. These formats help students visually represent and discuss the characters' inner struggles, encouraging in-depth classroom discussions about character development and conflict in the play.

Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

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Conflict Shown in Romeo and Juliet

Section one: major conflicts.

When one studies Romeo and Juliet it is easy to recognize that conflict is main theme. The major conflicts in the literature come from two warring families; the Capulets and the Montagues. The scene of the script illustrates that the two families have had wars between them for many years. This hatred that has been passed from one generation to the next has had an impact on the family members as well as the people of Verona (Shakespeare 7). The citizens of the region are part of the conflict because they witness the two families constantly fighting often resulting to death on either side.

Not only does Shakespeare the author of the literature illustrate conflict in terms of the two families but inner conflicts. Inner personal conflict is presented by the author when he describes how Juliet reacts after recognizing Romeo is a Montague. When Juliet realizes the true identity of the person he loves she is shocked. She wonders how she can love the person from the family she is supposed to hate. She voices her conflict by stating that she should love a loathed enemy (Shakespeare 8). The fact that she cannot change the fact that she loves Romeo provides a formidable basis for conflict.

The other base for conflict provided by the author comes from a conflict between Tybalt and Romeo. Romeo Gate-crashes a Capulet party and this makes Tybalt want to engage him in a duel. The other source of conflict on the literature comes from the conflict between Juliet and her father. The father of Juliet wishes her to marry Paris while she does not. The father of Juliet threatens to throw her out of the family if she refuses to marry Paris who is a Noble (Kottman 4).

Section two: How Conflict Affects Society

The main conflict in Romeo and Juliet comes from the family fights between the Capulets and the Montagues. The war between the two families interferes with societal norm whereby many people die in the process. It is evident that this conflict has an impact on interactions between people (Shakespeare 9). Romeo and Juliet though loved each other could not be together since they came from the opposite families to the feud.

Individuals are taught from an early stage in life to hate members from the other family. For this reason, the father of Juliet could not accept her daughter to marry Romeo since he came from the opposing family. It is also evident that the fights have had a negative impact on the thoughts of people (Kottman 6). For example, Juliet would be shocked to realize that Romeo came from a family that she is supposed to hate.

The scene of the play illustrates a brawl which involves servants from the house of Capulet and Montague. This fight has an impact on the street that the Prince warns of dire consequences if such an event that disturbs the streets should occur again. The impact of the conflict is also evident when Romeo and his friends attend a function where Tybalt argues they were not invited. Tybalt challenges Romeo into a fight which he declines (Kottman 11). But his friend with anger challenges Tybalt which results in his death while Romeo tries to stop the fight.

In response to the death of his friend Romeo seeks revenge against Tybalt which he succeeds to kill him. This will result in his banishment from Verona. Friends of Romeo and Juliet plant to secretly marry the two lovers. They devise a plan to fake Juliet death but never told Romeo. When Romeo realizes Juliet is dead he kills himself. When Juliet wakes up and finds Romeo dead he kills herself because they loved each other (Kottman 13). Because of the family conflict Romeo and Juliet would not let the society know about their love affair.

Section three: How to handle the conflict in Society

The reason of the family conflicts between the two families in Romeo and Juliet literature is not specifically mentioned. The conflict stretches for back for many decades. In order to handle such a conflict I would recommend a mediator or a conciliator. The conciliator will be able to speak with both families in order to understand the reasons for their conflict. The conciliator would also be responsible for providing measures and conditions that would prevent the two families from fighting again.

This conflict in the society should be handled by applying preventive measures. I would recommend that a unit is developed that would monitor the movements of the families and apply harsh measures to the family that starts a fight. Deterrence is another important measure that I recognize will bring formidable help to ending the conflicts. The deterrence measures could include offering hefty fines to families that start such conflicts. Families will avoid starting fights because it has a cost implication. The other important strategy for dealing with such conflicts in the society is providing education to people in a society. The content of such education includes details on how to handle conflicts.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William.  The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet . Project Gutenberg .

Kottman, Paul A. “Defying the stars: Tragic love as the struggle for freedom in Romeo and Juliet.” Shakespeare Quarterly 63.1 (2012): 1-38.

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Grade 9 Romeo and Juliet essay: Conflict

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Other

Last updated

26 November 2020

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Grade 9 essay exploring attitudes to conflict in Romeo & Juliet.

Ideal to be used as a model response for higher ability classes. The focus for my class was not relying on quotations for your analysis; instead, this showed them how to analyse wider methods.

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Study Guide: Romeo and Juliet (Unabridged‪)‬

Publisher description.

You can now review this play by listening to the summary on your way to class! In Romeo and Juliet , William Shakespeare takes us on a journey of forbidden love and interfamilial conflict. This study guide allows you to listen to a reflective reading of this internationally best-selling play. It provides a concise and clear summary of the work that you can listen to on the go, making your literature teaching and studying quicker and easier.  Created by teachers and professors, this is the best Romeo and Juliet study guide on the market, and it guarantees to ease your literature homework headaches and help you score higher on exams. From a general summary to chapter summaries, to explanations of themes, the Romeo and Juliet Study Guide by Total Class Notes has everything.

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ChatGPT Is Making Universities Rethink Plagiarism

In late December of his sophomore year, Rutgers University student Kai Cobbs came to a conclusion he never thought possible:  Artificial intelligence might just be dumber than humans. 

After listening to his peers rave about the generative AI tool  ChatGPT , Cobbs decided to toy around with the chatbot while writing an essay on the history of capitalism. Best known for its ability to generate long-form written content in response to user input prompts, Cobbs expected the tool to produce a nuanced and thoughtful response to his specific research directions. Instead, his screen produced a generic, poorly written paper he’d never dare to claim as his own. 

“The quality of writing was appalling. The phrasing was awkward and it lacked complexity,” Cobbs says. “I just logically can’t imagine a student using writing that was generated through ChatGPT for a paper or anything when the content is just plain bad.” 

Not everyone shares Cobbs’ disdain. Ever since OpenAI launched the chatbot in November,  educators have been struggling with how to handle a new wave of student work produced with the help of artificial intelligence. While some public school systems, like New York City’s, have banned the use of ChatGPT on school devices and networks to curb cheating, universities have been reluctant to follow suit. In higher education, the introduction of generative AI has raised thorny questions about the definition of plagiarism and academic integrity on campuses where new digital research tools come into play all the time. 

Make no mistake, the birth of ChatGPT does not mark the emergence of concerns relating to the improper use of the internet in academia. When  Wikipedia launched in 2001 , universities nationwide were  scrambling to decipher their own research philosophies and understandings of honest academic work, expanding policy boundaries to match pace with technological innovation. Now, the stakes are a little more complex, as schools figure out how to treat bot-produced work rather than weird attributional logistics. The world of higher education is playing a familiar game of catch-up, adjusting their rules, expectations, and perceptions as other professions adjust, too. The only difference now is that the internet can think for itself. 

According to ChatGPT, the definition of plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work or ideas without giving proper credit to the original author. But when the work is generated by some thing rather than some one , this definition is tricky to apply. As Emily Hipchen, a board member of Brown University’s Academic Code Committee, puts it, the use of generative AI by students leads to a critical point of contention. “If [plagiarism] is stealing from a person,” she says, “then I don’t know that we have a person who is being stolen from.”

Hipchen is not alone in her speculation. Alice Dailey, chair of the Academic Integrity Program at Villanova University, is also grappling with the idea of classifying an algorithm as a person, specifically if the algorithm involves text generation.

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Dailey believes that eventually professors and students are going to need to understand that digital tools that generate text, rather than just collect facts, are going to need to fall under the umbrella of things that can be plagiarized from. 

Although Dailey acknowledges that this technological growth incites new concerns in the world of academia, she doesn’t find it to be a realm entirely unexplored. “I think we’ve been in a version of this territory for a while already,” Dailey says. “Students who commit plagiarism often borrow material from a ‘somewhere’—a website, for example, that doesn’t have clear authorial attribution. I suspect the definition of plagiarism will expand to include things that produce.” 

Eventually, Dailey believes, a student who uses text from ChatGPT will be seen as no different than one that copies and pastes chunks of text from Wikipedia without attribution. 

Students’ views on ChatGPT are another issue entirely. There are those, like Cobbs, who can’t imagine putting their name on anything bot-generated, but there are others who see it as just another tool, like spellcheck or even a calculator. For Brown University sophomore Jacob Gelman, ChatGPT exists merely as a convenient research assistant and nothing more.

“Calling the use of ChatGPT to pull reliable sources from the internet ‘cheating’ is absurd. It’s like saying using the internet to conduct research is unethical,” Gelman says. “To me, ChatGPT is the research equivalent of [typing assistant] Grammarly. I use it out of practicality and that’s really all.” Cobbs expressed similar sentiment, comparing the AI bot to “an online encyclopedia.”

But while students like Gelman use the bot to speed up research, others take advantage of the high-capacity prompt input feature to generate completed works for submission. It might seem obvious what qualifies as cheating here, but different schools across the country offer contrasting takes.

According to Carlee Warfield, chair of Bryn Mawr College’s Student Honor Board, the school considers any use of these AI platforms as plagiarism. The tool’s popularization just calls for greater focus in evaluating the intent behind students’ violations. Warfield explains that students who turn in essays entirely produced by AI are categorically different from those who borrow from online tools without knowledge of standard citations. Because the ChatGPT phenomenon is still new, students’ confusion surrounding the ethics is understandable. And it's unclear what policies will remain in place once the dust settles—at any school.

In the midst of fundamental change in both the academic and technological spheres, universities are forced to reconsider their definitions of academic integrity to reasonably reflect the circumstances of society. The only problem is, society shows no stagnance. 

“Villanova’s current academic integrity code will be updated to include language that prohibits the use of these tools to generate text that then students represent as text they generated independently,” Dailey explained. “But I think it’s an evolving thing. And what it can do and what we will then need in order to keep an eye on will also be kind of a moving target.”

In addition to increasingly complex questions about whether ChatGPT is a research tool or a plagiarism engine, there’s also the possibility that it can be  used for learning. In other educational settings, teachers see it as a way to show students the shortcomings of AI. Some instructors are already  modifying how they teach by giving students assignments bots couldn’t complete, like those that require personal details or anecdotes. There’s also the matter of detecting AI use in students’ work, which is a  burgeoning cottage industry all its own. 

Ultimately, Dailey says, schools may need rules that reflect a range of variables.

“My guess is that there will be the development of some broad blanket policies that essentially say, unless you have permission from a professor to use AI tools, using them will be considered a violation of the academic integrity code,” Dailey says. “That then gives faculty broad latitude to use it in their teaching or in their assignments, as long as they are stipulating explicitly that they are allowing it.”

As for ChatGTP, the program agrees. “Advances in fields such as artificial intelligence are expected to drive significant innovation in the coming years,” it says, when asked how schools can combat academic dishonesty. “Schools should constantly review and update their academic honor codes as technology evolves to ensure they are addressing the current ways in which technology is being used in academic settings.”

But, a bot would say that. 

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