Romeo and Juliet EssayRomeo and Juliet:Discuss male violence in the play
...ot to the many conflicts seen in the play. At the beginning, it is the sexist discrimination in Sampson’s speech, that shows how violent words can be. (Act I scene 1 line 14): “ ‘Tis true, and therefore women being the weaker vessels are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall.” Although this is just a threat that targets the maids that work for the Montague family, this quote still shows the violence in the words used by Sampson. (Act I scene 5 line 19): “I will cut of f their heads…Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maiden heads, take it in what sense thou wilt.”. This quote portrays perfectly the male rage, as Sampson suggests physical abuse towards these maids. Among the threats, we can also find mild male-dominated verbal attacks that echo murder (Act I scene 5 line 54): “Fetch my rapier, boy. To strike him dead. I hold it not a sin.”. Here, we can observe Tybalt’s reaction to Romeo’s arrival at the Capulet party. We can see that this violence-loving aristocrat will take any opportunity to start a fight. Several times throughout the play, violence is the only answer for the young men to solve their problems. Here, we have a perfect example of Tybalt’s unwillingness to postpone the fight and talk in a civilised way (Act 3 scene 1 line 59): “Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw”. As Romeo refuses the duel, Mercutio gets killed in his stead; this also shows Tybalt’s thirst to kill. His vengeance is illimited towards the Montague family, and any minor detail is used as an excuse to kill. The comes the violence in Romeo’s revenge, when he decides to kill Tybalt for the death of his friend Mercutio. (Act 3 scene 1 line 119): “Staying for thine to keep his company: either you or I, or both, must go with him.” This need to take vengeance on both families is endless and forms a ...