Attitudes towards conflict Flashcards
Attitude, one
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”
Attitude 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.”
Attitude 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.
Attitude 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.”
Context behind the theme of conflict
• 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