Alex Lechowicz

Period 1

Jan 10th, 2019 R+J Final Essay

This paper will be on the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It is about two

lovers that want to be together, but the only thing that is stopping them from this is their own

families. The Montagues and the Capulets have Ancient grudges on each other therefore Romeo

and Juliet weren’t allowed to see each other, but the lovers do anything to be together. However

through the series of events that happened in this play, it is clear that Shakespeare’s essential

message is that love causes violence.

To begin with, this paragraph will explain how the character interactions demonstrated in

quotes one and two prove my theme. Quote one is from act three scene one. “ Boy, this shall not

excuse the injuries that thou hast done me. Therefore turn and draw.” This quote is showing how

Tybalt and Romeo are about to fight. Romeo does not want to fight Tybalt but Tybalt is mad and

confused because the two are supposed to be rivals and Romeo is telling Tybalt that he loves

him. Quote two is from Act three scene three. “Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel.

Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love, An hour but married, Tybalt murdered.” This quote

proves my theme because it shows how as soon as Juliet and Romeo got married, Romeo killed

her cousin.

This paragraph will explain how the character interactions demonstrated in quotes three and

four will prove the overall theme. Quote three is from Act three, scene one. “ I am hurt. A plague
o’ both houses! I am sped. Is he gone and hath nothing?”(93) This quote shows how from Tybalt

and Romeo’s fight, Romeo’s best friend Mercutio was killed. Romeo was trying to stop Tybalt

and Mercutio fighting because he didn’t want to fight with the Capulets anymore but by him

doing this, Tybalt accidentally stabbed Mercutio. This quote proves my theme because it shows

how Romeo was trying to stop the fight because Tybalt was Juliet’s cousin, but somehow the

situation still ended up with violence. Quote four is also from Act 3, scene one. ​ ​“Ay, ay, a

scratch, a scratch. Marry, tis enough…” (94) This shows that love causes violence because since

Romeo and Tybalt fought, it caused Mercutio to get killed.

In this paragraph, Quotes five and six will explain how character interactions prove my theme.

Quote five is from Act five Scene three. Juliet was under a potion that makes her seem dead so

that she can escape from her family and be with Romeo, but no one told Romeo about this and he

believed that Juliet was actually dead. “The dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark! Here’s to my

love. [Drinks]”(114) This quote proves my theme because it shows how Romeo killed himself

because he thought that Juliet was really dead, and his love for Juliet made him do this. Quote six

is from Act 5 Scene 3. “Yea, noise?--Then I'll be brief.--O happy dagger! [Snatching Romeo's

dagger.] This is thy sheath [stabs herself]; there rest, and let me die. [Falls on Romeo's body and

dies.]” This quote also shows how love causes violence because since Romeo died, Juliet was so

hurt that she also killed herself.

Throughout the play Shakespeare expresses his essential message that love causes violence.

To summarize this essay, Shakespeare showed how character interactions prove his theme, from

Romeo and Tybalt fighting at the start of the play to Romeo and Juliet both commiting suicide at

the end of the play. From this essay, the reader learns how most of the character interactions
Romeo and Juliet had involve love causing violence. The reader also learns that he has to be

aware of his actions through Romeo and Juliet’s character interactions so that he learns from

them, and so he also doesn’t make the same mistake that their parents made which was that there

grudges weren’t forgiven, and this caused the death of their children.