The prologue uses the sonnet form to convey the conflicts between families, the love between Romeo and Juliet and the tragic ending to the play. As we see the first 5 lines show the hate using expressive language such as grudge, mutiny, blood, foes and fatal. All these bear a meaning of rebellious activity and everlasting conflict. The next line into the sonnet shows the mighty love between Romeo and Juliet is shown and how they will die as the play advances. The language used hereafter represents the ending of the play when the parent’s realise that their conflicts are but worthless, pointless and irrelevant. The final three lines introduce the play and tell them small details like length and the fact that should anything have been missed out then their work shall show it. Generally, this particular part in the play bears absolutely no reference to love bar one line and therefore obliviates the sonnet form from even the first couple of lines. Continually and seemingly more emphasis is put on the violence and tragedy of the play rather than the love and conspiracy involved. As with all of the sonnets in this particular piece the conventions of the traditional sonnet are always interrupted at some point in the first few lines. Shakespeare obviously had a reason for this of which none of us can really be sure and consequently we can only guess at his reasons for this. It may be is that he knew that the audience would automatically think of love when they heard a sonnet so changing them into sonnets with hate in the will ultimately add to the surprise factor of the play.
The next poem in the play is Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 170 – 183. At this point Romeo is discussing his eternal and obsessive love for Rosaline his previous girlfriend who has left him. This is more closely related to a traditional sonnet but is broken by the fact that heartache is evident in some lines of the poem:
Why then, o brawling love, o loving hate,
O anything of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms.
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
This is the point in which the traditional sonnet was broken off into the style in which Shakespeare has turned it into. Points that also make this sonnet interesting are when he uses oxymorons to add effect. This was in lines 179 and 180.
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still waking sleep, that is not what it is!
These strike you at first as absolutely absurd but then you realise how they portray how he is feeling. This contradicts the prologue which says that this is a play of tragedy and seemingly turns it into a play focused on the aspect of Romeo’s love, when actually it isn’t.
Soon after the discussion about Rosaline with Benvolio, he has been taken to the Capulets dinner party where he meets the daughter of Lord Capulet, Juliet. This is where all of Romeo’s feelings and talk foolishly in the last sonnet goes down the drain. He spots Juliet and ends up kissing her before the end of the evening.
This particular sonnet is a traditional love sonnet, undisturbed by any references to hate, violence of the feuds between the two families. Romeo tries to kiss her but Juliet interrupts this by claiming that Romeo is too impulsive and ahead of himself. Romeo retaliates with a remark that invites himself to kiss her:
Romeo Have not saints lips and holy palmers too?
Juliet Ay, pilgrim lips that they must use in prayer.
Romeo O then dear saint, let lips do what hands do.
They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.
Juliet Saints do not move, though grant for prayers sake.
The final line indicates that Juliet is willing for the kiss to take place and Romeo briefly replies before being granted what he originally asked for.
The penultimate sonnet is the discussion between Romeo and Juliet which is interrupted by the nurse. Starting out as a traditional love sonnet, on line 5 it develops into a mixed conversation between Romeo and Juliet and the Nurse, although Juliet’s involvement is minimal. After line 5 the sonnet is not based on hate, but more overly based on confusion and the warnings of hate to come further on into the play. It refers to violence but doesn’t actually include any violence. The change is noticed in these lines:
Romeo Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged. Give me my sin again.
Juliet You kiss by th’ book.
Nurse Madam, your mother craves a word with you.
Romeo What is her mother?
Nurse Marry bachelor
The only reference to violence is in the rhyming couplet which appears at the end of the sonnet:
Benvolio Away, be gone, the sport is at it’s best.
Romeo Ay, so I fear, the more is my unrest.
By the end of the sonnet, all the foreseen passion between them has gone and has progressed into a prediction of hate and violence to come.
The final sonnet is the chorus at the start of the second act. This is basically a summary of the previous act and hints towards the outcome of the next act. The sonnet is generally suggesting that the love between Romeo and Juliet might overcome the vast and ancient hate between the families. This is shown in the rhyming couplet at the end:
But passion lends them power, time means, to meet.
Temp’ring extremities with extreme sweets.
A rough translation of this is as follows:
Passion lends them power: There love will give them the power to do as they like.
Time means: The time available.
To meet: To see each other at some point.
Temp'ring extremities: To soften hatred between the two families.
With extreme sweets: With their great love.
This sonnet also reflects on Romeo’s thoughts towards the old woman in his life and his new-found love. It coveys how his lovesick behaviour towards Rosaline was soon abolished for his new found love Juliet:
Now old desire doth in his death bed lie.
And young affection gapes to be his heir.
That fair for which love groaned for and would die.
With tender Juliet matched is now not fair.
Now Romeo is beloved and loves again.
You can see how he compares Rosaline with Juliet and how he simply drops Rosaline. One can almost question whether Romeo would do the same thing with Juliet and be suddenly attracted to another.
