How is “Grudge” Portrayed in Romeo and Juliet?

Scene 1 Act 1 is a fight scene between the men of Montague and Capulet. There is no explanation as to why the two houses despise each other, and yet they start a sword fight the moment they see each other. Especially Tybalt, he pounces at the chance to fight the Montagues and despise them greatly. In his 5 lines, he speaks of how he is willing to kill Benvolio and his hatred towards the family. Still no explanation as to why the families hate each other so much. It is also mentioned in the prologue how the two houses have an “Ancient Grudge” but there is no back story to it. Even in just the first scene, you can see how hate can last even without a real reason. In the dialogue of Prince Escalus, he mentions how the two families have disturbed the streets more than once. Showing how this is a recurring event. During the first scene, all men from the two families try to fight each other. The moment they see each other, they try to initiate a fight.

The prologue shows how the grudge of the two families had ended two people’s lives. How the old grudge which the families have for each other caused two of their children to take their own lives. It can be noticed that Romeo and Juliet are not a part of the first fight scene, and during that time he had been alone, thinking about a girl. His absence from the scene of his families conflict already showcases his characteristics. While his other relatives had joined in on the fight, he was romanticising about a girl. This shows how he does not care much about the conflict between the two families even if he is aware of it.

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