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Romeo And Juliet

Hayley Ortman
Meeks
English 1 Block 1
May 5, 2008

Romeo And Juliet Essay

In Romeo and Juliet, written by Shakespeare, there are many situations of love and hate. Shakespeare was a brilliant writer, who found many different ways to express this love and hate, whether it was through motifs of light and darkness, or death. All in all, this story shows that love can overcome any hate.
In this dramatic story, there were two families – the Capulet family, and the Montague Family. They hated each other. There were instances where the families would come into contact with on another, and quarrels would instantaneously begin.
Sampson. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them,
Which is disgrace to them if they bear it.
Abram. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
Sampson. I do bite my thumb, sir.
Abram. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
Sampson. Is the law of our side if I say ay? (772).
Biting your thumb at someone back in Shakespeare’s time was an extremely insulting gesture. One would only make such a gesture if they were extremely mad, or simply did not like someone or something. In other words, biting your thumb would not be a warm-welcome kind of greeting. Since Sampson, being a servant of the Montague family, saw Abram, servant to the Capulet family, Sampson decided to be rude to the other. If the two families were friendly with each other, neither of the servants would have been rude to the other, which resulted in a fight in the middle of the street. In another situation of how Shakespeare portrayed hate in this drama, was when Tybalt, a Capulet, kills Mercutio, a friend of Romeo’s.
Benvolio. O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio is dead!
That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds,
Which too untimely here did scorn the earth (822).
Romeo was so deeply distressed that Tybalt had slain his friend Mercutio. At first, when Mercutio had fallen from being pierced with a sword, Romeo did not believe Mercutio was badly hurt. Romeo...