Violent Consequences of Tribalism in Romeo and Juliet

In the 1996 film ‘Romeo and Juliet”,director Baz Luhrman displays his interpretation of William Shakespeare's world renowned, greatly influential play which shares the same title. Luhrman almost immediately makes it clear that he shares the same view as many others in the sense 

that ‘Romeo and Juliet’ explores the violent consequences of tribalism. He displays that tribalism in the form of an ancient grudge is ultimately to blame for the devastating demise of two star-crossed lovers. A pointless feud with a forgotten cause leads to pain, death and sorrow, and tribalism is to blame.

“What's Montague?” Juliet says. “ It is nor hand, nor foot, nor any other part belonging to a man. What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any word name would smell as sweet’. Juliet draws attention to the obvious absurdity belonging to the two families' feud. The reference towards a rose is an attempt to remind the viewer that it is the physical thing that matters rather than the concept of a name in which we refer to it as. This is our first reference to the violent consequences that tribalism holds. She explains how she and Romeo truly are in love and would be happily together if it wasn’t for their names, hence the iconic phrase “What’s in a name?”. This is also foreshadowing their tragic ends as Juliet is aware that their family names and the meaningless ancient grudge will make it impossible .

Mercutio's death also  comes at the consequence of tribalism. His cheerful personality makes him a loveable character and causes the audience to connect with him in a joyful way. That’s why his death is so heavy for viewers and causes them to feel a mix of anger and disbelief that he is the victim of a war he was never meant to be involved in. His death is used to represent the effects that unnecessary wars have on society as a whole. He is dressed in white to represent his innocence in the feud and the fact that he does not belong to either house. As he begins to realise he is dying he repeatedly states “A plague o’ both your houses” as a curse on both families in revenge for the damage and destruction their meaningless feud has caused, the innocent blood that has been spilled and the violent consequences of tribalism.

While many factors contribute towards the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet, none contribute more than tribalism. Tribalism was the beginning and the end of the two lovers' lives. They were born into a war they had nor wanted any part in which would eventually lead to their devastating and unnecessary deaths. Luhrmann repeatedly uses foreshadowing to give the viewer an idea of what will happen to Romeo and Juliet long before it takes place, giving them the opportunity to realise how easily it could’ve been avoided as the story unfolds. Some say their destiny lied with fate the entire time but if it weren’t for tribalism, Romeo and Juliet would be able to freely love one another. This would avoid the deaths of Mercuito and Tybalt, meaning Romeo would never be banished from Verona beach and Romeo and Juliet would both still be alive. Another two lives lost to the violent force of tribalism.