Romeo and JulietConsider the balance of tragedy and comedy in Act one, concluding whether it is on the whole humorous of tragic.

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The Prologue includes phrases like ‘death-marked love’ and ‘fatal loins’. From this we might think that Romeo and Juliet is an unrelenting tragedy. Yet the first Act has many humorous moments. Consider the balance of tragedy and comedy in Act one, concluding whether it is on the whole humorous of tragic.

As defined by Aristotle, ‘tragedy evokes pity and fear in the audience.’ On the other hand, comedy evokes pleasure and laughter. Act One is highly comical with absurd characters, and humorous language. However from the outset, the audience is on notice that the play is a tragedy, not least because the play begins with a dark and tragic Prologue. The Prologue contains dark imagery such as ‘civil blood makes civil hands unclean,’ and,’from ancient grudge break to new mutiny’. It also describes a ‘pair of star crossed lovers’ who, ‘with their death bury their parents strife’. This creates dramatic irony amongst the audience, in that however amusing the comic aspects in the rest of the play, ultimately the audience knows that tragedy will follow.

Act One develops in the following way.

In Act One, many comic events are established to the reader. Many of these events are ironic to the audience. One example of this, is in Scene 4, when a servant to Capulet, invites Romeo, a Montague, to a major party at the Capulet’s house,

        

“Now I’ll tell you without asking. My master is the great rich

Capulet, and if you be not of the house of Montague, I pray come

and crush a cup of wine. Rest you merry.

                                        (Act One, Scene 2)

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This quote is particularly significant because Romeo is a figurehead Montague, the only son of Lord Montague, and it would seem obvious that the servant would recognize him. This scene is humorous, as the servant asked to deliver the invitations is unable to read, hence forth, asking Romeo to read it for him.  This is very ironic, as the consequences leading from this invitation are particularly tragic.

Capulet’s party, scene 5, is another humourous event in the play, with jokes about corns in his welcoming speech,

 “Welcome gentlemen! Ladies that have their toes

Unplagued with corns will ...

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