When we think about Romeo and Juliet the first
thing that comes to our minds is the pure love between a young couple that has
endured in our minds.But was Romeo and
Juliet a love story? First we have to consider that the opening chorus that initiates the play mentions “where
civil blood makes civil hands unclean” in talking about the violence that
plagues the streets of Verona, and this is ratified in Act I with the fight
between the Montagues’ and the Capulets’ servants. In this scene Sampson and
Gregory express their hate for the Montagues while they are talking“ The quarrel I between our masters and us
their” and then through insults they provoke a fight with Tybalt, who
refuses to keep the peace “ what, drawn and talk peace? I hate the
word as I hate hell, Montagues, and thee.” We would expect Benvolio and
Tybalt to stop the fight since they are part of the nobility; nevertheless,
they take part in it which makes us think that Shakespeare is trying to tell us
that no matter the status of a man, violence is part of any person.
Tybalt is also encouraged to violence when he realizes that Romeo was in their
party, and he wants to fight Romeo despite his uncle’s supplication to refrain.
The hate that burns his soul is so strong that it takes concerted effort to
control his emotions. Nevertheless, he takes revenge and his pride and hate
lead him to defeat Romeo in a fight that ends in the tragic death of Mercuccio.Mercuccio’s death
increases Romeo’s hate and desire for revenge, and so he fights and kills
Tybalt.Finally, Romeo and Juliet die as a result of their forbidden
love. Love was not strong enough to save them from violence and hate but it
pushes them to commit suicide in another act of violence. Thus, we can see that
violence only begets more violence in the play.The
only thing the two young lovers could do to escape their fate and break the
harsh punishment levied against them by their families was to leave their world
the only way they knew how: through violence.
In my point of view, Shakespeare really wanted to
tell us that violence is part of us, violence rules the world and every
time we want to change the status quo and install a new world new order, we use
violence to do so. There has never been a system or order that was not upset
and changed to another, sooner or later. The winners oppress the losers
of each struggle for power and dominance, and then eventually the lossers
revolt and depose the winners, and each side switches places, for all time.
Because all humans look for power, as the Capulets and the Montagues each
of them wanted power over the other and that can only end in violence, its a
vicious cycle that will never end until humans learn to explore the world as
the biggest gift of pure love. What do you think about it? According to
you what rules this play, love or violence? 
I really like your blog. It is both profound and insightful. I agree completely with your notion of man's unending lust for power and dominance over others, and I think that it is for this very reason that true peace will/can never be achieved without some sort of external help (aliens, god, WHO KNOWS?). Imagine if the middle east suddenly stopped creating terrorist, and if the United States ceased invading other countries. Even if these things were to happen, someone ELSE would come along and attempt to control everything. I believe that our economic system and our very way of life is governed by a select group of individuals in power. How can we truly revolt against them if we dont even know their names?
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