William Shakespeare tries to set a scene with two families that have pure hatred for each other. Right from the first scene he tries to introduce us to the conflicts between the Montagues and the Capulets. He tries to give us a sense that the feud has been going on for a long long time. In the prologue it states “Ancient Grudge to new Mutiny.” It is also telling us from this quote that there will be many fights in the play due to the serious rivalry between these two families. Grudge being a very strong and bold word gives us a sense of many fights in the past and shows us how strong the feud really is. However in this scene we see Shakespeare’s intention of it being a comedy by having Lady Montague saying to her husband, “Crutch.” Clearly a pun trying to show comical intentions between the two families. THIS IS NOT EXACTLY A PUN, BUT IT INDICATES HOW PATHETIC, AND INADVERTENDTLY COMIC CAPULET’S ENMITY IS.

In the first scene we see Montagues and Capulets meeting in the streets and conflict mounts due to the tiniest of incidents, “I do bite my thumb sir.” Shakespeare is trying to show us how pathetic the feud is by creating a scene where something as little as biting a thumb begins a huge street brawl. GOOD.

By the Prince’s speech we learn how the two families fight is destroying Verona and making it a hellish place to live. “Beasts,” is a very strong word and shows how the participants are seen as animals, which can be a rather humiliating word for the elders as they are being called savage. This also shows how the characters are humiliating themselves by participating in such, one might call childish acts. GOOD ON THE WAY YOU ARE ANALYSING A WORD HERE IN DEPTH

Straight away from the prologue we learn of the death of Romeo and Juliet, a Montague and a Capulet, which shows Shakespeare’s intention to make us see how the brawl so serious would leave two lovers dead. “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life” this of course shows how they both kill themselves over the fact that, in many senses, fate acted. Maybe Shakespeare wanted us to see that in fact that because they were from these different households, they were never meant to be together, therefore they ended up dead.

It shows Mercuitio’s death as a very deep piece of writing, showing how the feud had caused yet more blood. “A plague on both your houses. USE THE 5 WS TO EXPLAIN THE CONTEXT IN MORE DEPTH ” Despite this being very ironic as it was very much his fault he was killed, it is also true that yet again, the hatred between the familes leads to death and destruction. Shakespeare is trying to convey a strong image of a feud with many dying due to this feud. The Mercuitio Tybalt fight very much conveys this.

There is an attempt by Shakespeare to show how there was the possible hope that Romeo and Juliet’s love would end this strong hatred. “Turn your household’s rancour to pure love.” This said by Friar Lawrence was one of the main reasons why he would later marry the two. This shows Shakespeare’s attempt to show how even the marriage of Romeo and Juliet couldn’t change the families because it really is that strong.

However at the end he tries to show us that their children’s death would change the relations between the Montagues and the Capulets. “O brother Montague, give me thy hand.” – Capulet. This shows how perhaps the families had grown in strength by accepting each other’s friendship. It also shows how only the death of Romeo and Juliet would cure and end the feud between them, again showing us the pointlessness and strength of the feud.
B+ grade. TO ATTAIN AN A GRADE YOU NEED TO USE THE FIVE 5Ws TO EXPLORE THE CONTEXT OF YOUR QUOTES IN MORE DEPTH, AND ANALYSE THE IMAGERY THAT SHAKESPEARE USES, AS WELL PROVIDING A DEEPER INSIGHT INTO WHAT SHAKESPEARE WAS TRYING TO SAY.