What are the themes in Romeo and Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet explores a number of rich themes. It is most famous for being a love story, so of course one of its most prominent subjects is love. Romeo and Juliet feel an intense passion for one another, and Romeo describes his previous love for Rosaline as “too rough, / Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn.” Romantic affection can be dangerous, sending the young lovers into violent mood swings and eventually despair and suicide.

There is also love between friends and family. Mercutio, Tybalt, and Benvolio enjoy one another’s company, and Juliet’s and Romeo’s families keenly mourn their losses. Friar Lawrence and the prince display yet another kind of love, a socially conscious devotion to their society. The friar plots to wed Romeo and Juliet in order “To turn your households' rancour to pure love,” and the prince bans fighting in the streets and partially blames himself for the continued violence.

The flipside of love is hate. Verona suffers from a feud that fosters hatred and violence. Romeo and Juliet’s love somehow emerges from this atmosphere, as Juliet observes: “My only love sprung from my only hate!” In a sense, that love cannot live and is suffocated by rancor. However, it is reborn in the reconciliation between the Capulets and Montagues. These are only a couple of themes in the play, which also meditates on death, sex, parenthood, and beauty.

What is one major theme developed by Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet?

One of the interesting themes in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is that of fate versus free will. This theme is encountered in the Prologue, which describes the story of the play as follows:

Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, ...

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

This descriptions of the two lovers as "star-crossed" suggests that their fates have been determined in advance by the stars or predestined. In your essay, you might look at the degree to which the events seem willed by the characters versus the degree to which they are shaped by fate.

The first types of evidence you could look at to support the notion of fate determining the course of the play are the random coincidences that drive the plot. You might consider how Romeo meets Juliet and whether that was, in fact, probable. You could also look at other key moments such as the letter going astray and the timing of Juliet's betrothal to Paris.

On the side of free will, you could look at the choices made by the lovers and their associates and think about whether their fates would have been different if the lovers, Friar Laurence, or the Nurse had made different choices. 

What themes are present in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

If we are looking at just the themes surrounding the two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, rather than looking at the play's themes as a whole, there are definitely a few different themes.

One theme surrounding Juliet is coming of age. Juliet is a budding young woman. When we first meet her, she appears to be far more young and girlish than in later scenes. One evidence of her youth is the fact that when her mother asks Juliet what her opinion of marriage is, she says, "It is an honour I dream not of," showing us that, like a young girl, Juliet is not yet really thinking of boys (I.iii.70). More evidence that Juliet is mentally much younger in this scene is that she is still very eager to please her mother and play the role of the obedient daughter. We see her playing the role of the obedient daughter when she consents to take a look at Paris at the ball and see if she can like him. However, as the play progresses, Juliet experiences tribulations that help her develop into more of a young woman. First, she falls in love for the first time; then, Romeo kills her cousin Tybalt. The emotional turmoil she experiences after Tybalt's death, her feelings of both love and hatred for her husband, plus her choice to continue loving her husband show us just how much she has developed into a young woman.

Another theme is rash, irrational youth, which is especially portrayed through Romeo, though both Romeo and Juliet have their rash, irrational moments. We particularly see Romeo acting rashly and irrationally when it comes to love. For one thing, he allows himself to get caught up in his emotions rather than using sensible judgement. He gets caught up in his emotions both when he allows himself to suffer over Rosaline's rejection and when he falls in love with Juliet. When he gets caught up in his emotions, he acts irrationally. He also makes the hasty decision to marry so suddenly, even though both he and Juliet know they have a lot of obstacles, such as their warring families. Making such a sudden decision is acting rashly. Finally, Romeo shows just how young he truly is when he confuses real love for lust. Friar Laurence expresses this truth when he observes, "Young men's love then lies / Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes," in other words, all Romeo is really feeling for both Rosaline and Juliet is physical attraction and nothing deeper (II.iii.68-69).

What is a major theme in Romeo and Juliet, and how is it demonstrated throughout the play?

ENotes discusses several themes of Romeo and Juliet: Fate is inescapable; haste makes waste; hatred breeds disaster; arranged marriage vs. love. I'm going to look at some examples of fate in Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the whole story, almost every character blames Fate or Fortune for everything that happens.

Fate is such a strong theme in the play that it is first introduced in the prologue: "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes / A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life." The phrases 'fatal loins' and 'star-cross'd' both refer to fate. These two lines says that no matter what they do, from the moments of their conceptions to the moments of their deaths, Romeo and Juliet's fate is predetermined.

In Act III scene I, after Romeo slays Tybalt, Romeo cries, "O, I am fortune's fool!" This means that Fate is toying with him, making him do stupid things. Romeo knows that having slain Tybalt, he is going to be tried and sentenced, probably to death. He realizes at this moment that he will not be able to stay with Juliet. He also knows that it was fate that determined his actions and will determine the consequence.

In Act III scene V, as Romeo exits Juliet's bed chamber, the last time she will see him alive, Juliet has a vision of Romeo dead at the bottom of a tomb, and then she calls on Fate to bring Romeo back to her:

O fortune, fortune! all men call thee fickle:
If thou art fickle, what dost thou with him.
That is renown'd for faith? Be fickle, fortune;
For then, I hope, thou wilt not keep him long,
But send him back.

Juliet doesn't know what Fate has in store for Romeo and herself, but she speaks to Fate as if she is praying for Romeo to be sent back to her.

When Friar Lawrence's letter does not reach Romeo, in Act V scene III, the friar does blames not the messenger but Fate: "Unhappy fortune!" Even Friar Lawrence, a man of God, considers destiny prewritten.

At the end of the play, when the Prince is chastising the two families at the death of Romeo and Juliet, he says, "See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate, / That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love." By 'heaven' he also refers to Fate.

What is the most important theme in Romeo and Juliet?

While there is no definitive answer to this question, one might say that hate is the most important thematic idea in Romeo and Juliet. This is ironic, since the centerpiece of the play is the love between Romeo and Juliet, but hate is what leads to their ultimate destruction-- or at least, is a major player in it.

Hate can be seen as a kind of poison in the story. Just as the flowers and plants in Friar Lawrence's garden can become deadly if mishandled, so too does the love between Romeo and Juliet become poisoned by the hatred around them. After all, the two are from equally noble houses-- were there no feud between the Montagues and Capulets, then no one would likely oppose Romeo and Juliet's union.

But hate muddies the waters. Hatred leads to so many deaths: Mercutio is killed after being attacked by Tybalt; Romeo slays Tybalt in vengeance, leading to his banishment. Even the very society of Verona is permeated with aggression, with the young men feeling "unmanly" should they not stoop to revenge for any slight, real or perceived. Even women are not immune: Lady Capulet tells Juliet she wnats Romeo killed after what he did to Tybalt.

While hate leads to the play's final double suicide, hatred is ultimately overcome by Romeo and Juliet's overwhelming love to one another. Shaken by how their "enmity" lead to the loss of the heirs of both their houses, Montague and Capulet form a truce, agreeing to end the destructive conflict once and for all.

What is the most important theme in Romeo and Juliet?

I would argue that the most important theme in Romeo and Juliet is that of fate. This is touched on in the Prologue to the play, which refers to the two as "star-cross'd lovers." From the moment they fall in love at the ball (which itself wouldn't have happened had Capulet not restrained Tybalt from fighting with Romeo) events seem to conspire against them. Tybalt and Mercutio clash in the streets, leading to the former's death at the hands of Romeo; Juliet is engaged to be married to Paris; plague prevents Friar John from reaching Romeo to inform him of Friar Lawrence's plot. In short, everything that could go wrong does, and the two lovers perish as a result. One might as plausibly argue that the theme of hatred or conflict, and love's ability to transcend it, is equally important, but I would argue that the role of fate, which Shakespeare examines in other plays as well, is fundamental to this tragedy.

What would be the dominant theme in the entire story of Romeo and Juliet?

I had to change the question a bit.  From "preferred," I went with "dominant" because I think that you are looking for the theme that is most present, one that could be more easily selected from Shakespeare's drama.  I think that there are many themes that can be extracted from the play.  The link below might help in this pursuit.  I think that there is a very strong theme evident on the Capulet side of the drama.  The intense gap that exists between Juliet and her parents might speak to the danger of what happens when parents do not listen or hear their children.  In Act III, Sc. 5, the discussion that takes place is one that reflects parents seeking to enforce their will on their child.  Shakespeare's exploration of the child and parent theme is not necessarily new.  Yet, he does bring a new dimension to it in suggesting that if parents do not have a close connection to their children, enforcement of authority's desires upon them can only result in dangerous realities.  The bond between parent and child is severed when this happens.  This is a very powerful theme that I see in the drama and one that I find extremely compelling.

What are the main themes in Romeo and Juliet?

Love: Romantic love is the dominant theme in the play. The powerfulness and blindness of love is paramount to all concerned, and that is especially true for Romeo and Juliet.

Us vs. Them: The young lovers’ refusal to conform is the other dominant theme. Although society presents many obstacles and reasons why Romeo and Juliet cannot be together, the pair pursues their own happiness.

Fate: We know from the beginning that the lovers are doomed. As much as they may try to thwart fate, their destinies are predetermined.

what are the major themes in Romeo and Juliet and some quotes to support it?

This question has been answered many times.  Here is a comprehensive link for you:  http://www.enotes.com/romeo-and-juliet/search?q=themes+of+romeo+and+juliet

What are some of the major themes in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

Naturally, a major theme in Romeo and Juliet is love, but that theme has many different variations.

One variation explores the possibility of love at first sight. But beyond that, the play explores love as an overwhelming force. When Benvolio councels Romeo to forget about Rosaline, his reply is "O, teach me how I should forget to think" (Act 1, Scene 1). Furthermore, love is portrayed as a force that rushes Romeo and Juliet's relationship at full speed until it final leads to their demise. 

Another love theme is the portrayal of love as both a blessing and a torment. Romeo makes this clear in his opening lines about Rosaline, referring to love as "O brawling love!" and "O loving hate!" (Act 1, Scene 1).

Loyalty is also a recurring theme in the play. Juliet is expected to be faithful to her family, while Romeo is expected to be faithful to his. However, since both families are at war, their love for each other drives them to be disloyal. Juliet declares that she will cease being a Capulet if Romeo would say he loves her (Act 2, Scene 2). Romeo even abandons his cousins and friends to seek out Juliet in the garden (Act 1, Scene 1).

Finally, social constraints is also a major theme. The Montagues and Capulets are constrained from continuing their battles by the prince. Romeo is restrained from being able to marry Juliet because she is a Capulet and at war with his family. Juliet is constrained by her father, as head of the household, and commanded to marry Paris.

What are the main themes in Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet?

The first act of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet tells the audience in its opening lines what the outcome of the play is going to be. The playwright begins with what appears to be simple duality: two households; two lovers; two deaths. On the surface, this seems as simple as "black and white", but in reality it becomes much more complicated when the two lovers turn out to be members of two warring households. Furthermore, and ironically, the deaths of these two lovers helps to resolve the strife between the two households.

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.

Thus, the deaths of Romeo and Juliet brings an end to the quarrel between the Montagues and the Capulets. Moreover, Shakespeare implies that there deaths were the only thing that could put an end to the quarrel.

Not only do we find strife between the two families, but we find that the two central characters are being pulled in different directions by the various aspects of love. Juliet is assailed by the practical side of love, the side of love that marries and produces children. Romeo is challenged by the emotional side of love, which, according to Mercutio, he should treat roughly if he is treated roughly by it.

By the end of Act 1, Romeo and Juliet have met one another and are immediately captivated by one another. Unfortunately, they also discover that their families are on opposite sides of an age-old quarrel. Accordingly, Juliet exclaims,

My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy.

Thus, at the end of the Act, Shakespeare returns to the same sorts of paired opposites with which he started: love and hate. This pair is seemingly simple, but, once intertwined, can create an incredibly complex situation, as it does in this play.