The Main Theme of Romeo and Juliet

Examination Questions on Romeo and Juliet

Question: What is the main theme in the play?

Answer: It describes the battle of love and hate, in which battle love is victorious. When Romeo first enters and sees the evidences of the fray between the partisans of Capulet and Montague he says: Here's much to do with hate, but more with love. This remark describes the play.

A deadly feud had, for a long time, existed between the Montagues and Capulets. Law could not control it. Religion could not abate it. A young Montague falls in love with a young Capulet. This love is reciprocated. It is a love which is all-absorbing, overmastering. It is a love which is literally unto death. When Romeo and Juliet are laid in the tomb, the feud which, for so long a time had existed between the Capulets and Montagues, is also buried in the same tomb. This is the theme of the drama.

In King Lear love is conquered by hate. In Romeo and Juliet love triumphs over hate. In it Shakespeare takes us a journey through Inferno and Paradiso. The journey ends in Paradiso.

More on Themes in Romeo and Juliet

Back to the Romeo and Juliet Examination Questions main page.

How to cite this article:
Fleming, William H. How to Study Shakespeare. New York: Doubleday and Co., 1898. Shakespeare Online. 10 Aug. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/romeoandjuliet/questions/maintheme.html >.

______________

Related Articles

Romeo and Juliet: The Complete Annotated Play

Annotated Balcony Scene, Act 2

Blank Verse and Rhyme in Romeo and Juliet

Sources for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet Plot Summary (Acts 1 and 2)

Romeo and Juliet Plot Summary (Acts 3, 4 and 5)

Romeo and Juliet and the Rules of Dramatic Tragedy

Romeo and Juliet: Teacher's Notes and Classroom Discussion

The Five Stages of Plot Development in Romeo and Juliet

How to Pronounce the Names in Romeo and Juliet

Introduction to Romeo