Wednesday, May 2, 2018

What theme does the quote “Content thee, gentle coz” show?

At the Capulets' masquerade ball, Tybalt becomes enraged when he sees that Romeo has come, clearly without having been invited. He approaches Lord Capulet, angry about the young Montague's transgression, but Capulet tells him, "Content thee, gentle coz." In other words, he wants Tybalt to keep the peace and to leave Romeo alone. He advises Tybalt to calm down, saying also that he's heard in town that Romeo is actually a good kid. Further, Capulet does not want to start a brawl in his own home in front of his guests. To me, such a line seems to convey the theme that we have many opportunities to choose peace over anger and resentment, if only we are willing to take them. Had Tybalt listened to his uncle, he would have let it go instead of choosing to seek revenge on Romeo the next day, an action that leads to his own death and Romeo's banishment; these, in turn, lead to Juliet faking her own death, Romeo taking his life in her tomb, and, finally, Juliet taking her life as well.

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