Griffin Schutte

3/21/14 1B
Timed Writing

The racial tension between whites and blacks parallels the feuding between the
Montagues and the Capulets. Relations between races have always been strained. At the time the
play was written, black people were not considered to be as human as white people. It would
have been inconceivable for a black man to cultivate a relationship with a white woman. If a
black man were to publicly demonstrate his affections for the white woman, he likely would
have been executed. Similar tensions are apparent in Romeo and Juliet between the families
Capulet and Montague. An age old rivalry exacerbated by death and blood divides the two
families. Each family member vows to strike against his or her foes and violence persists. No
love is lost between them and none is found either. However, Romeo and Juliet, born into the
hatred of the families, develop a forbidden love. They refuse to adhere to precedents and
traditions that have become their respective familys standards. The cover of the video,
showcasing a black Romeo kissing a white Juliet, embodies the rebellion of each rejection of
romantic taboo. Romeo and Juliet love despite his and her families and blacks and whites love in
spite of racial bigotry.