Fire With Water

OK, I'll Bite: Shakespeare and Conflict Resolution

I’m not entirely convinced about everything she says, but since Victoria Pynchon’s Forbes article links Shakespeare and conflict resolution, I’m pretty much obligated to repost it. Christa, the founder of this very blog, and yours truly were in a Shakespeare acting troupe together in college, so my inner lit nerd compels me.

The basic concept of this piece is that Romeo and Juliet takes place in what Malcolm Gladwell called an “honor society”- a culture where the law is weak, so your safety depends on your reputation for exacting revenge. Romeo and Juliet’s love is a transcendence of the conflict; they are able to reject their identities as members of the groups in conflict (Juliet’s “What’s in a name?” soliloquy) and approach each other as individuals. In their case, the inspiration for the transcendence was teenage hormones, which of course can’t be counted upon to act up in every violent conflict.