Attitudes towards conflict

Question 1

Attitude, one

Answer 1

Shakespeare suggest that it is the older generation that is mainly responsible for the conflict:

“ their parents, rage”

“ handbag starve, die in the street” “ my fingers itch”

Question 2

Attitude 2

Answer 2

Although many men have violent attitudes in the play, Shakespeare suggests there are men who are frustrated by it.

BENVOLIO IN SCENE ONE: “Part fools! You know not what you do.” ROMEO’S INTRODUCTION: “The grove of sycamore”
ROMEO’S INTRODUCTION: “O me! What fray was here? Tell me not for I have heard it all.”

Question 3

Attitude 3

Answer 3

However, even the most peaceful men can get drawn into the patriarchal pressure to have a violent attitude.

ROMEO: “Oh Sweet Juliet, thy beauty hath made me effeminate.

Question 4

Attitude 4

Answer 4

Shakespeare appears to convey the idea that conflict is petty, futile and against God’s will

The Prologue: “ancient grudge”
The Prologue: “star cross’d lovers”
The Prologue: “…but their children’s end nought could remove.”

Question 5

Context behind the theme of conflict

Answer 5

• England had recently left the Catholic church.
• Unlike most countries, the monarch became the
spiritual leader of the country.
• As a result, there was a great deal of sectarian
conflict between Protestants and Catholics.
• Religion was a big political issue – being the “wrong” religion at home could get you imprisoned, tortured or executed. Both Catholics and Protestants were burned at the stake throughout this period.
• There was a Catholic plot to assassinate the king during Shakespeare’s life time. (The Gunpowder plot)
• Spain, a Catholic country, was threatening to invade.
• Elizabethan patriarchy encouraged men to be violent and aggressiv