On the other hand, when we first meet Juliet she is at first completely the opposite of Romeo. With “Madam” and ”What is your will?” Shakespeare is showing us that Juliet is acting like a servant to her mother, this also means that Juliet doesn’t treat Lady Capulet as her mother. And instead of a mother looking after her, Juliet has a nurse to attend to her needs. It seems that Lady Capulet has no time to raise a child. The words “What is your will” imply that Juliet treats her mother as someone she works for. With this, the audience would feel emotional as their hearts would reach out for Juliet, for in their view she does not have a mother.
As well as this, with “ I’ll look to like, if looking liking move. Here Shakespeare shows us Juliet isn’t really fond of arranged marriages. And she is believes that you cannot be forced into marrying someone you don’t necessarily like. But with “look to like”. Juliet gives in and will meet him and try to like him, just to keep her mother happy. So this also shows us that Juliet is made out to be a weak character that wont stand up for what she believes is wrong. The audience would feel annoyed that Lady Capulet would force her daughter into marrying someone she does not like.
Now at the party scene Romeo has just set eyes on Juliet. And with the quote “Did my heart love till now”. Shakespeare is putting across that Romeo is now a very complicated and confusing person. Because, before this Romeo was saying that his love was for Rosline and he was completely obsessed with her and he wouldn’t live without her. But now he has changed and now his love is completely for Juliet. And with this the audience may find it humorous as how Romeo has sworn his love for someone, and then completely changes his ‘vows’ for another person. But also the audience might find it dangerous that if Romeo keeps changing his love for different people, it might end up in tears. Or worse, death.
Following on and at the end of the party Shakespeare shows us that with “My grave will be my wedding bed”. Juliet is now reached Romeos level of obsession. This is because firstly she is talking in a confusing manner and also she has become obsessed with him, but strangely she isn’t as open about her love for him as Romeo is for her. This may because she has to carry the burden of Paris’s love for her and she is supposed to be meeting him, and then getting married against her wishes. But we can be clear that with “grave” “wedding”, it shows the audience that she is defiantly obsessed as she would consider dying as an option if she could only marry her true love Romeo. So with this the audience would be amazed, as they before did not see Juliet as such a strong obsessive character.
And now onto the balcony scene, which is the most important and significant part of the play. Here, Shakespeare with “What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun” shows us there is imagery that Romeo relates Juliet as light of his life, it brightens up anything that is dark i.e. something that is bad, and that he could not live without her. Secondly Romeo is saying “Juliet is the sun”. In his views, something that is higher than anything else and which is closer to heaven, also something that is more powerful than anything else and that ‘shines’ out more than anyone and that is unique. In this case the audience would feel truly enhanced by Romeos description of Juliet.
Finally, Juliet is comes outside onto her balcony, and with these famous lines “Oh Romeo, Romeo!”, “Deny thy father and refuse thy name” and “be but sworn my love”. Shakespeare shows us that Juliet is now completely devoted to Romeo. This is because firstly she has now completely opened up that she has sworn her love to him, not realising that Romeo is just under her balcony listening to every word. This term is called dramatic irony, because the audience knows that Romeo is listening, but they also know what Juliet doesn’t know. This, for the audience would create a tense atmosphere for they do not know whether Romeo will speak out to Juliet, this would also create suspense between the characters and the audience.
As well as this when Romeo hears Juliet speak, he then replies by “Oh speak again bright angel”. So here Shakespeare shows us that again Romeo is in a world of his own. And with the word “angel”, it adds imagery of Juliet who is angel of outstand natural elegance and beauty. And also by the word “angel”, it implies that Juliet is therefore closer to heaven. The audience in this case would think that Romeo is completely obsessed with Juliet and would feel surprised that Romeo is relating Juliet to such a Godley creature.
So I have now shown you the many different emotions that the passionate characters of Romeo and Juliet go through in the first two scenes in the play. But sadly because of their parent’s rage and hatred with the other family, they mistakably force Romeo and Juliet down “the fearful passage of their death-marked love” and because of their parents selfishness our “star-crossed lovers come to a tragic and blood spilt end.
By James O’Mara-Copeman
10CMC
Total amount of words - 1,253
