The grudge between feuding families is described as

Q: What was the grudge between the Capulets and Montagues?

Then, the families of Montagues (in Italian, Montecchi”) and Capulets (in Italian, Capuleti”), two reputed houses of Italy, were fighting over political supremacy. Both of the houses wanted to assert their power over the other. They tried to get the attention of the king of Italy.

“Feuds do not always have neat beginnings and ends. A feud can be anything from revenge killing that occur many years after the original crime to a complex brew of conditions, grievances, and affront resulting in violence and retribution.” (King 31). Feuds have been around for centuries all over the world, including places like Italy, England, and America. They have come to shape the way people view other countries and groups of people. Although Italian, English, and American feuds all possess different beginnings, they all share the same humanistic desire for power in their earthly realm. Feuds in Italy are more secretive in nature, and there is always something for someone to gain. An example of an Italian feud is the feud between the Guelfs …show more content…
Although this feud is fiction, it is based on a real Italian feud in Verona. Sadly, there are not many firsthand accounts of this feud due to the secretive nature of the Italians. The feuding families in the play, the Capulets and Montagues, have been feuding for years, and two of their children fall madly in love. However, their love is not accepted by their families, so Romeo and Juliet had to find other ways to be together. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare writes, “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” (Shakespeare 3). The stubbornness and unaccepting nature of these Italian families left their hands bloody since their inability to accept Romeo and Juliet’s love led them both to committing suicide just to be together at last. The families let their petty feud get between what truly matters, which is their children’s happiness. This play highlights the intensity of Italian feuds because it showcases how easily they let their pride get between their own children’s …show more content…
They all share the similarity of trying to gain power in their realm. For example, the Guelfs and Ghibellines feud started because both groups wanted to gain political stature and power. Similarly, the English were dueling for the throne in the Wars of the Roses, and the Americans were also hunting for power and dominance in their specific region of the Kentucky and West Virginia during the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s feud. Another similarity within Italian, English, and American feuds is there is a familial element to the feud. In Italy’s Romeo and Juliet, it was between two rival families that were “both alike in dignity” (Shakespeare 3). War of the Roses was caused by two rivaling families which had a “…complex series of rivalries and jealousies at court between powerful noble families” (Johnson). The Hatfield’s and McCoy’s were more like the feud in Romeo and Juliet because it involved two families that were alike in their social standings that were both plagued with bloodshed and

In Shakespeare’s tragedy "Romeo and Juliet," two noble families—the Montagues and the Capulets—are at war with each other, a state of affairs that ultimately dooms the young lovers. We never learn the origin of the feud between the two families, but it drives all of the major events of the plot; it pervades the play from the very first scene when servants from each house get into a fight.

Table of Contents Show

House of Montague
House of Capulet
How is the grudge between feuding families described in Romeo and Juliet?
What was the grudge between the Capulets and Montagues?
What started the feud between the Montagues and Capulets?
What ultimately ends the feud between the Capulets and Montagues?

Despite all of that, after the tragic deaths of their children at the end of the play, both families agree to bury their grievances and acknowledge their losses. Via their tragic deaths, Romeo and Juliet resolve the long-standing conflict between their respective families, but unfortunately, they do not live to enjoy the peace.

With the Montague-Capulet feud being so central to the play, it's important to know where each character fits in. The following list divides the "Romeo and Juliet's" characters by family:

House of Montague

Montague: Father to Romeo and married to Lady Montague, he’s concerned about his son at the start of the play and asks Benvolio to help him figure out what’s bothering Romeo.
Lady Montague: Romeo’s mother is less of a presence in the play than Juliet’s mother, but in the few scenes we see her, she appears to love her son deeply. When Romeo is banished, she dies of grief.
Romeo: The son and heir of the Montague house, Romeo is 16 years old and falls in and out of love easily. He kills Tybalt after Tybalt kills Romeo’s friend, Mercutio.
Benvolio: He is Montague’s nephew and Romeo’s cousin. Benvolio tries to be a good influence on Romeo, persuading him to forget about Rosaline. He acts as a peacemaker and friend to Romeo.
Balthasar: Romeo’s serving-man. He tells Romeo of Juliet’s “death” (when she has actually only taken poison to appear dead), which spurs Romeo to eventually kill himself.

House of Capulet

Lord Capulet: Juliet’s father is the family patriarch and tries to control his daughter by arranging a marriage to Paris. When she refuses, he calls her terrible names and threatens to throw her out:

"Hang thee, young baggage! disobedient wretch!
I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday,
Or never after look me in the face
And you be mine, I'll give you to my friend;
And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets!"

Lady Capulet: Juliet’s mother, while more understanding of her daughter, is almost as angered by Juliet’s refusal to marry Paris as Lord Capulet is. She dismisses Juliet outright: "Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word; do as thou wilt, for I am done with thee."
Juliet Capulet: At age 13, Juliet is about to be married to Paris and is deeply unhappy about it. But everything changes when she meets Romeo, despite him being from the rival Montague family.
Juliet’s Nurse: She is more of a mother figure to Juliet than Lady Capulet is, and she knows the young woman better than anyone else in her family. The Nurse’s sense of humor lends some much-needed levity to the play. She’s the only one who helps Juliet in her quest to be with Romeo, even though she doesn’t fully understand the intensity of Juliet’s feelings.
Tybalt: Lady Capulet’s nephew and Juliet’s cousin is the main antagonist of "Romeo and Juliet," owing to his deep hatred of the Montagues. Short-tempered and vindictive, Tybalt is quick to draw his sword in anger. His killing of Mercutio is a pivotal moment in the play.

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Jamieson, Lee. "Members of the Montague-Capulet Feud in 'Romeo and Juliet'." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/montague-capulet-feud-2985037 (accessed November 29, 2022).

How is the grudge between feuding families described in Romeo and Juliet?

The endless grudge between them was the frst reason. The feud prevented the star–crossed lovers from loving in a normal way. Secondly, Capulet did anything to force Juliet to marry Paris without listening attentively to his daughter's wish, which only made Juliet take the potion from Friar Lawrence decisively.

What was the grudge between the Capulets and Montagues?

Then, the families of Montagues (in Italian, “Montecchi”) and Capulets (in Italian, “Capuleti”), two reputed houses of Italy, were fighting over political supremacy. Both of the houses wanted to assert their power over the other. They tried to get the attention of the king of Italy.

What started the feud between the Montagues and Capulets?

The beginning prologue only mentions that the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues stemmed from a grudge between the two families. In the opening of Act 1, we see that even the presence of a Capulet or a Montague can instantaneously start a fight because of the hatred they felt for each other.