The cousins of Romeo and Juliet are also very different. Romeos cousin Benvolio is a peacemaker. We know this when he says “part fools, put up your swords”, Juliets cousin Tybalt does not want peace and likes to fight. He says “peace, I hate the word”.
The structure of the play also has two contrasts. It begins as a comedy and ends as a tragedy. The turning point of the play is the death of Mercutio.
The way the characters in the play speak are different, Samson and Gregory, the servants of the two houses, speak in prose because they are lower class. The houses of Montague and Capulet all speak poetry because they are upper class.
Some phrases in the play are contrasts because Shakespeare uses many oxymorons such as: “loving hate”, in this quotation the “loving” and “hate” are two words with very different meanings. The whole play is based around these two contrasts. Another oxymoron Shakespeare uses is “parting is such a sweet sorrow”. In this quotation, “sweet” and “sorrow” are contrasting words.
The nurse speaks prose, which contrasts with Juliet because she speaks in verse. Juliets nurse also has a different view of marriage than Juliet. The nurse believes the point of marriage is to marry someone wealthy who can support you for the rest of your life. This contrasts with Juliets more romantic view of marriage. The nurse has a bawdy sense of humour and gossips uncontrollably. The nurse has a good relationship with Juliet. This contrasts with the relationship she has with her mother, Juliet does not see eye to eye with Lady Capulet, because she would rather her daughter marries someone who has wealth and security, and who her mother and father would approve of. Her mother thinks she has Juliets best interests at heart. The nurse would rather see Juliet happy, rather than unhappy and wealthy.
An important contrast in this play is the view of society at this time, when marriages for women were arranged by their parents, the way Juliet had an arranged marriage to Paris which was organised by her parents. This contrasts against Juliets view of marriage as a commitment to someone you love, which is why she marries Romeo in secret.
Juliet is trying to please her mother throughout the play, when she speaks; a majority of her words are one-syllable, except for “honour”. The way she speaks with her mother contrast with the way she speaks to Romeo, when she first meets him. She says “And stint thou too, “It is an honour that I dream not of “. This language contrasts with her vocabulary when she first speaks with Romeo, she uses words such as: “pilgrim”, “mannerly devotion” and “holy Palmers kiss”.
Romeo and Juliet meet together and fall in love during Act 1 scene 5. In this scene both characters completely change varying from their earlier selves. They both speak using religious words such as 'shrine', 'holy', 'pilgrim', 'Palmer', and 'faith'. Words such as these promote all love and feelings they have for one another. Juliet formerly used a limited vocabulary, but here we see her demonstrate her use of longer words and also puns, "for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy Palmers kiss”.
The lighthearted puns that Juliet uses at points in the play, especially during her first meeting with Romeo in Act 1, Scene 5 contrast with the strong, dark phrases in the same act when she says "My grave is like to be my wedding bed", and during Act 3 Scene 5, Lady Capulet says “I wish the fool were married to her grave" about Juliet, these are both very vivid and dark and conjure strong images to the closing scene.
There are also contrasts in the language between dreaming and reality, through the use of poetic language, similes, metaphors and imagery used and the more real life language. Dreams are often talked about, and although they may not be true "Dreamers often lie", they can hint at, future events; so they often use dramatic irony. In Act 5, Scene 1, Romeo tells his messenger "I dreamt my lady came and found me dead". This is dramatic irony because the final scene Juliet wakes in the tomb to find Romeo dead, and a contrast between dreams and reality and life and death, as the messenger has come to tell Romeo that it is Juliet who is dead.
The friar who advises Romeo is a contrast to the two families at war. He wants to join the two families by marriage, we see this when he says he would like to turn the two households “rancour into pure love”, this contrasts with the view of the families.
Shakespeares use of contrasts in “Romeo and Juliet” suits the play. I think the most effective contrast is the play beginning as a comedy and ending as a tragedy. Contrasts keep the audience interested as there are constantly new things happening. Along with a constant contrast in characters theme and mood we find ourselves facing a contrast of action. Changing the characters changes what's happening. For example when Tybalt enters there is fighting and when Romeo enters there is talk of love and a calm mood is set.
