Family Obligation Theme in Romeo and Juliet Literary Analysis Essay Sample

"Romeo and Juliet" is written by the famous playwright, William Shakespeare. It is an iconic story of love, loss, and Family Drama. This story has presented many themes; however, the most dominant theme is the idea of family obligations. 'Family obligations' is the most dominant and arguably the most important theme because of how many times the protagonists are worried about disappointing or dishonoring family, and how the stress of this idea is what causes their ill-timed deaths.   

'Family Obligations' is the idea of children behaving a certain way or believing certain things out of respect for their families. At the start of the play, the conflict between the Montague and Capulet houses is introduced, and not long after we find out that the two protagonists, Romeo and Juliet, each belong to different houses. This introduced a problem for the characters when they fell in love. They know if they are caught seeking around with each other that they may bring dishonor to their family name and disappoint the members of their families. This displays the idea of family obligations.  

Another way the idea of family obligations is presented is in the idea that at the time, girls were to accept the husband their fathers picked for them without complaint. In act one scene three, Lady Capulet introduces Juliet to the Idea that she will be married to Paris, by explaining to her that “The Valient Paris Seeks you for his love.” However, later Juliet refuses to accept this, by which her father responds by saying that she is no longer his daughter because she has brought dishonor to the family name. This is what causes the chain of events leading up to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.   

Some people may claim that the most dominant theme would be the power of hatred. An example of this theme being displayed in Romeo and Juliet can be resentment between the houses and the people in them. Some may argue that the hatred between the families is what caused the death of Romeo and Juliet, proving it to be the most dominant or important theme. However, the ultimate reason is because of the stress the idea of family obligations inflicted the characters with, causing them to make irrational and ill-advised decisions, and leading to their deaths.   

Overall, Shakespeare includes many themes including but not limited to the idea of family obligations and the power of hatred. However, 'family obligations' is the most dominant and important theme in Romeo and Juliet because of the dishonor, disappointment, and stress that not following family obligations can cause.