The Dysfunctional Families of The Play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespere is a classic and the point that Romeo and Juliet came from dysfunctional families is correct, and this was the true cause of the tragedy. Their families despised each other, to the point where they could not even look at each other. The Capulet family household was an extremely toxic place to grow up in. And overall even with the joining of both families. They still managed to destroy each other's lives until the death of their only children. 

The feud between the Capulets and the Montague families was distasteful towards the wealthy society that they lived in at the time. At the beginning of the play, the men of both the Montague and the Capulet families started a fight because of their hatred towards each other. Capulet and Montague heard this quarrel and said to their wives: 

CAPULET

     What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!

LADY CAPULET

      A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a 

       sword? 

CAPULET

      My sword, I say. Old Montague is come.

      And flourishes his blade in spite of me. 

MONTAGUE

      Thou villain Capulet!-Hold me not; let me go.

LADY MONTAGUE

      Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe. (1.1.76-82). 

The Capulets were holding a feast for contenders to meet Juliet and to see who was fit for marriage. In their announcement, the Capulets invited everyone in the city of Verona to come, except anyone from the household of Montague. Which proved how much they hated each other. And when a server came to invite Mercutio and his friends, including Romeo, he said: 

Now I’ll tell you without asking. My / master is the great rich Capulet, and if you be not / of the house of Montagues, I pray thee and come and crush a / cup of wine. Rest you merry.” (1.2.85-88).

Another time the Montague and the Capulet families were caught in a quarrel was the fight between Tybalt and Romeo, which led to the eventual death of Mercutio and Tybalt, and the banishment of Romeo from Verona. Tybalt went searching for Romeo after he saw him at the Capulets gala, where Capulet told him not to cause a scene with Romeo during the party. So, he was so enraged by that, Tybalt decided to finish his business with Romeo, which ended up costing him his life. 

The Capulet family toxicity was much worse than the Montague’s towards each other, and at some points it went a little too far. A little while before the Capulets threw a feast for Juliet to fall in love with Paris, Juliet’s mother was searching for her and asked her if she would think about marrying Paris. Juliet claimed she had not thought about marriage at all and would try to see if she would like him. Although this seems like an innocent conversation between mother and daughter it was not. Lady Capulet was not much of a mother figure to her daughter and it seemed like her mother was trying to get rid of Juliet by pushing her to get married. Also, during the feast the Capulets threw, there was another toxic incident that happened. Tybalt saw Romeo at the party and was furious that he was there because he was a Montague and when Capulet saw him burning up he went to put an end to his madness. He began to speak firmly and violently with him saying: 

He shall be endured. / What goodman boy? I say he shall. Go to. / Am I the master here or you? Go to. / You’ll not endure him! God shall mend my soul. / You will make a mutiny among my guests, / You will set cock-a-hoop, you'll be the man. (1.5.86-91).

One of the last times that Juliet's family was toxic was towards her and was what eventually led her to death. Capulet tells Juliet she must be married to Paris, but when the already married Juliet says she does not want to, it blinded Capulet into a rage and warned her if she did not listen she would be kicked out. He became poisonous when he spoke, saying many different mean things to the point where even Lady Capulet was uncomfortable. Capulet spoke in rage and said: 

An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets. / For, by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee, / Nor what is mine shall never do thee good. / Trust to ‘t; bethink you. I’ll not be forsworn. (3.5.204-207). 

The marriage and death of Romeo and Juliet calmed the storm of the feud between the Capulets and Montauges in many different ways. Although Romeo and Juliet were married their marriage was not acknowledged until their suicide by their famliy because they did not know. They had a small wedding to join the two families before Juliet was to be married to Paris, who had his eye on her. The two got married so quickly because they were afraid that the feud between their families would tear them apart, and even with marriage it did. Friar Lawrence also agreed to the idea of marriage in trying to end their families fight and wanted to help the two teenagers in love. He said: "In one respect I'll thy assistant be, / For this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households' rancor to pure love." (2.3. 97-99). Next, once Romeo hears of Juliet's death he went back into Verona where he was banished from to die close to her. Before then he went to an apothecary to buy poison, so he could kill himself. This is because he could not live without Juliet, she was the only good thing in his life and living a life without her would put him back into depression, like he was in the beginning of the play. Before he died, he cried out: 

Come bitter conduct, come unsavory guide! / Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on / The dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark! / Here’s to my love. [Drinking.] O true apothecary, / Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die. (5.3.116-120). 

And finally, the death of Romeo and Juliet made their families slightly less dysfunctional. With the two men of the families both grieving for their only children and putting their feuding past behind them.

Romeo and Juliet’s families are from what people call dysfunctional, and was what led to their eventual death was correct. Between the constant feud and hatred of the two families and how toxic the Capulet household was, which damaged Juliet's lifestyle and life greatly. On top of that their feud killed their only children who they loved with all their hearts sometimes. But, still managed to fight with so much bloodshed, but as soon as their children were caught in the crossfire and committed suicide it came to an end. The children were all they had and once they were gone they realized they were fighting over nothing.