How does Shakespeare create dramatic tension in act 3 scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet?

        This scene is the last were we see both Romeo and Juliet alive at the same time which is one of the reasons why it is so tragic. At the end of Romeo and Juliet’s passionate night together they are now emotionally and legally together. In the first paragraph as Romeo is in danger of being killed and must go the atmosphere is darkened and there is sorrow because Romeo must part this is in contrast with the happy and contented mood Romeo and Juliet were in before because of their consummated marriage. Juliet believes that the bird they are hearing is a nightingale so its still night time which means Romeo doesn’t have to go. This scene is dramatic for the audience because the scene is in a small room for a short amount of time and it’s intimate between the two characters. The quote “Nights candles are burnt out” is symbolic as it says Romeo and Juliet’s love will burn out, it symbolises passion at an end. Romeo is sure that the bird they are hearing is the lark so he fears that day break is hear, the audience are drawn into the play at this point because they are with Juliet not only because they want her to be right that it is still night but because through out the whole story she has played the voice of reason. In this part of the play the romance and intimacy has gone as very colloquial language is used and when Romeo is faced with the choice stay and die or go and live the tragedy gains momentum. It is dramatic for the audience when Romeo says “I must be gone and live or stay and die” because he usually acts on impulse and would stay but he knows that if he goes to Mantua he will live. There is high dramatic tension as the audience are drawn into intimacy because at any moment Romeo could die, as an audience we are very much on edge. There is an ironic role of reversal as the traditional symbolism of light is changed, here it means end, danger and unsafe. The immaturity of Romeo is shown when he puts his time spent with Juliet before his life; this is stupid because they will never be together again if he dies, this tells us that Romeo has very irrational romantic tendencies.

        There is a sudden mood change as the audience with Juliet feel that it is day and Romeo must go. The punctuation gives you a sense of fear, panic and tension as the speech is disjointed and interspersed with frequent pauses, this reveals Juliet’s anxiety. The letter ‘o’ is use many times in this scene of the play, it helps the audience to feel the distress fear of the characters. At this point in the play the audience still believe Juliet because she has always been the rational and sensible one, Romeo tends to act rashly not thinking things through for example in the killing of Tibolt. When the line reads “This doth not doth not so, for she divideth us” there is word play on division this says about the separation of the lovers, and it shows Juliet’s wit even in times of dread and fear. The time is now morning, there is also a play on the word morning because it contains the word morn and there will be a lot of morning after their deaths. There is symbolism as the larks voice is like a hunter pursuing Romeo-The closer it gets the more in danger he is but Romeo is relentless and doesn’t stop. Romeo echoes Juliet’s words and its sets a negative fearful and gloomy tone for the audience. The contrast between light and dark has a dramatic effect because as it gets lighter Romeo and Juliet feel darker as Romeo is in danger. Supporting Juliet the nurse acts as a messenger as she warns her of her mother’s arrival. The audience are dramatically pulled in as they want to know whether Lady Capulet will find out that Juliet was with Romeo.