Oppositions

• Opposition


  Shakespeare uses oppositions in Romeo and Juliet to make the audience question conflict and opposition in their own lives and society
• Shakespeare's use of opposition

  • He brings polarising concepts together which allow the audience to analyse how they interact
  • He highlights obvious differences as well as the more implicit similarities
• Juxtaposition


  Shakespeare often uses juxtapositions and oxymoronic language to present contrasting and contradicting ideas in the play
• Contrasting characters


  Shakespeare creates characters which have contrasting or similar personalities
• Capulets and Montagues


  • The play is based on a conflict between these two opposing families
  • The families are more similar than they are different, they're both noble families with characters who have similar attributes
• The tragic ending in the play

  Shakespeare illustrates the dangers of opposition and conflict in life
• Mercutio and Tybalt


  • They are similar characters as their inclination towards violence make them catalysts for the plot
  • Tybalt is a very serious character who introduces the reality of the situation to the audience whereas Mercutio adds comedic relief
• Love and hate


  Shakespeare juxtaposes love and hate throughout the play, he even subverts incredibly romantic scenes with moments filled with hate and conflict
• Act 1 Scene 5


  • The iconic scene where the two lovers meet for the first time, their language is filled with religious imagery
  • Just before this, there is a conflict between Tybalt and Lord Capulet
• Shakespeare placing contrasting exchanges of love and hate next to each other

  It creates tension and illustrates the simplicity as well as the complexity of life in presenting the two most powerful emotions alongside each other
• Act 2 Scene 6 and Act 3 Scene 1


  Shakespeare manages to put together the epitome of love which is marriage and the epitome of hate which is murder
• Life and death


  • Shakespeare shows the duality between life and death within the play, death is used to release tension and purge emotions
• Romeo's final speech before committing suicide


  • He contrasts the sadness of death with a feeling of elation, describing happiness before death as "lightning before death"
• Life in the play

  • There aren't any births, instead there are new beginnings which can be seen as symbolic of new life
  • The love between Romeo and Juliet is symbolic of this new life, they forge a new life together as a married couple