Romeo and Juliet is widely portrayed as the ultimate love story. But when you dig a little deeper below the surface and look at the play as a whole, rather than just considering Romeo's famous "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks..." speech, we see that the true message of the play is the futility of conflict and miscommunication.

Thanks to the ongoing feud and prejudices between the Montague family and the Capulet family, both end up losing a beloved child.

The play portrays the potential tragedy of miscommunication when Romeo fails to receive the message from the Friar that Juliet is merely drugged—not dead. As a result of not receiving this message, Romeo commits suicide, which leads to Juliet's own suicide. The overarching message of the play is that all of the heartache could have been avoided had the Capulets and Montagues not been feuding with one another.

The true meaning of the Romeo and Juliet play is that hatred between two families can cause deathly effects. This play teaches the reader a lesson on prejudices. Because the Montagues and Capulets were prejudiced against each other, their hatred ultimately caused the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

Sadly enough, it takes the deaths of Romeo and Juliet for the Montagues and Capulets to resolve their differences. By this point, it is too late to bring back the lives of two of their precious loved ones--Romeo and Juliet.

No doubt, this story is more than a sad love story. It is a story of hatred and the effects that result from it. Two families hate each other. For this reason, Romeo and Juliet have no hope. Fortunately, their deaths bring about a much needed change. The reader and the Montagues and Capulets learn a powerful lesson on prejudices. Hopefully, the lesson learned will bring about positive changes.