Max Carle

Mr. Owain Phillips

English 9A
19 May 2014
How Romeo and Juliet Teaches us to Solve Conflicts
Fights are a natural part of any relationship. In the following, conflicts between gangs or
athletes will be analyzed. There are similar patterns which light up in any fight and, of whatever
nature the conflict might be, these similarities have been outlined in literature throughout the
centuries. A good example for this showing of patterns is Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. The
on-going dispute between the Montagues and the Capulets in Romeo and Juliet does not differ
much from the conflicts occurring in modern society, specifically those between gangs, athletes
and within families. This is because the conflicting parties, just like in Shakespeares play, hold
different mind-sets and would refuse to give them up for the sake of peace.
In Romeo and Juliet, small provocations are enough to heat up the situation between the
Montagues and the Capulets, until it escalates into increasing violence. Sometimes, even
weapons are pulled out to either hurt or provoke the other family. Sampsons words make this
clear: What I mean is, if they make us angry well pull out our swords (1.1.1-5). His outburst
shows how the servants of the Capulets keep fighting against those of the Montagues. It also
demonstrates how they were even willing to murder each other. Mercutio also shows his
aggression when encountering a member of the Capulet family: Hurry up, or Ill smack on your
ears with my sword before you have yours drawn (3.1.45-50). Meeting Tybalt, Mercutio wants
to fell him with his sword, highlighting the barbaric touch between and within those two
families. One can draw plentiful parallels from the Montague and Capulet way of dealing with
fights: extreme aggression, passing down prejudice to the younger generation and the tendency
to blame and reproach people rather than take a step towards them in a quiet manner. Nowadays,
too many family members approach each other with wrath in their hearts, leading to aggressive
behavior and the shifting of guilt, when in reality, a much better way to solve a conflict would be
to seek for harmony and peace, in an attempt to talk things out rather than draw the sword. This
is how conflicts in families, which follow the traditional model constructed by Western culture,
relate to the fights in Romeo and Juliet.
It is common for gangs to fight for power if they share the same territory, territory like
New York. During 1845 and 1855, two of the most famous gangs of New York, the Dead
Rabbits and the Bowery Boys, were constantly fighting. One gang wanted to eliminate the other
to conquer more towns in order to widen their influence. It started when the Dead Rabbits
invaded a nearby Bowery Boys clubhouse and about a thousand gang members, armed with
paving stones and axes, fought along Bayard Street (Martin Scorsese, Great Gang Fight). The
Dead Rabbits stuck together and were considered a union, a family, which fought for common
principles. In 1850, they had already eliminated other famous gangs in New York and they were
radical and aggressive, willing to put up a fight anywhere and anytime they were in trouble. But
in 1855, federal troops finally stopped the violence on the afternoon of July 5th and officially,
eight men were killed (Martin Scorsese, Great Gang Fight). After this "Great Gang Fight", the
fighting cooled down and the streets of New York were safe again. In Romeo and Juliet, a sense
of identity constantly stimulates both clans to fight or even attack each other. This pride, a pride
to belong to a certain group or clan, can also be found in the battles between the mentioned
gangs, the Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys. Unfortunately, this pride is a major obstacle in
the process of solving a conflict, an insight which even Shakespeare made clear in his play.
Fights in soccer also happen frequently, especially between the players, the referee, or
even the fans. Two years ago, "fnf Spieler sind angeblich auf Wolfgang Stark losgegangen,
haben ihn beschimpft und beleidigt. Einer von ihnen, Herthas Levan Kobiaschvilli, soll den
Schiri sogar in den Nacken geschlagen haben" (Niels Kruse, Fair wre nur ein
Wiederholungsspiel). This quote argues in favor of a replay because five soccer players cursed
at a referee - one of them, Kobiaschvilli, even attempted to hit him. After the game, Stark quit
and refused to be a referee. The game determined which team would slide down into the second
league and which team would rise up into the first, meaning that there was a lot at stake. The
same happens between the Montagues and the Capulets in Romeo and Juliet, just that they do not
risk their status in a soccer league, but their pride, their dignity and their honor. Members of the
Montague family do not want to be seen with those of the Capulet family (and vice versa).
Mercutio says: Give me a mask to put my face in. A mask to put over my other mask (1.4.28-
30), stating that he wants to cover his identity so he will not be recognized on the party. The
same goes for Romeo, as Mercutio is not the only guest on the party wearing a mask.
Establishing contact with an enemy or even building a relationship with them would equal
treason and is, therefore, avoided.
Analyzing the conflicts between the two families, one can conclude that plenty of the
themes in Romeo and Juliet reappear in todays clashes. As illustrated, common themes are
violence, provocation, pride, prejudice and aggression, just to list a few. Problem solving is a
valuable and necessary personal trait and the listed attitudes or habits need to be overcome if one
desires to be a successful problem solver. Therefore, it is a topic to which most people can
connect and relate; it is one that gives us the chance to learn a lesson.

Works Cited
"Ephemeral New York." Ephemeral New York. Web. 18 May 2014.
<http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/tag/famous-gang-fights/>.
"Relegation Fortuna Dsseldorf Gegen Hertha BSC: Fair Wre Nur Ein Wiederholungsspiel -
Sport | STERN.DE." Sternde RSS. Web. 25 May 2014.
<http://www.stern.de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/relegation-fortuna-duesseldorf-gegen-
hertha-bsc-fair-waere-nur-ein-wiederholungsspiel-1828975.html>.
SparkNotes. SparkNotes. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/>.
"7 Infamous Gangs of New York." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 04 June 2013. Web.
18 May 2014. <http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/7-infamous-gangs-of-new-
york>.