There is a strong sense of dramatic irony in this scene, as the onlookers know that Juliet is in love and married to her Romero, I can imagine the caries of the crowd in defence of Juliet in the great Globe Theatre. This scene will keep the audience gripped in the action and following every word. They would feel involved and the characters would come to life. Therefore, this scene is vital to the course of the play.
At the start of the scene Romero has not yet departed and as the sun is rising the couple must say their farewells. The atmosphere here is still love orientated and fairly calm however there is a growing element of suspense and fear. There is a sleepy very calm feeling to the start of the scene as Romero and Juliet ramble away to each other in long sentences filled with poetry and pleasant images. As the scene progresses though the danger becomes more real and close tension is being built up.
“I must be gone and live, or stay and die” says Romero very early in the scene; this starts to build some suspense because if Romero is caught he will be killed. Juliet wants him to stay as long as possible, “Yon light is not daylight”, this line brings out the further the strong feelings of love they both share because they do not want to leave each others presence. The audience feels their love is very strong and true this helps us to sympathise with the characters bringing them to life. When Juliet says, “Hie hence be gone away!” there is a release in tension in the audience, they fear for Romero’s life and the longer he stays the greater the danger will get. The audience know that Romero must go and every extra minute more he spends with Juliet he is in danger more because he does not leave straight away the anxiety is built up more us the longer they talk.
Death is mentioned several times reminding us of the serious consequences of what they are doing and the penalty for their love, “Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;” and “I must be gone and live, or stay and die.”
There is a feeling of sadness in the atmosphere as our two passionate young lovers depart, “More light and light; more dark and dark our woes” this relates to the arrival of the light and thus their separation. It also is a warning for what is come because from this point their relationship becomes darker and this line hints at the tragedy to come building up tension and anxiety for us.
The anxiety for us comes to a peak when the nurse bursts in abruptly shouting, “Madam”, this brings us back to reality and the characters as well, the sentences become a lot shorter and there is a greater use of commas and exclaimation marks.
“Madam!”
“Nurse?”
“Your lady mother is coming to your chamber:
The day is broke; be wary, look about.”
However even though the nurse is up and wants to see Juliet the couple still hesitate to depart and they are reluctant to leave each other. As they are leaving we get a strong feeling of woe and even though we are relived because Romero is leaving we are sad they are departing. There are ominous lines spoken by Romero and Juliet as they leave that builds up anxiety for us and them, “O think'st thou we shall ever meet again?” “As one dead in the bottom of a tomb:” “Dry sorrow drinks our blood”. The couple and the audience wonder whether they ever will see each other again alive, and the language including words like “tomb”, “dead”, and “blood” brings about a eerie feeling for us and them and we are continued to be given a warning to what is to come. However the circumstances of this we do not know. Juliet at this moment is filled with misgivings; she fears that they will never meat again, “Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale.” Juliet’s fears increase as he goes and our fear increases as we relise that the tragedy is now gathering momentum. She prays, “I hope thou wilt not keep him long, but please send him back”. There is a sad longing atmosphere at this point. The words are hinted at fate and death suggesting that the story is now going along a one-way street with a dead end.
Juliet and Lady Capulet engage in clever word play when she enters to bring her, “Joyful tidings”, Lady Capulet thinks Juliet wants Romero dead while Juliet never actually says this she is treading on dangerous ground and we feel anxious because we do not know whether she will give herself away. “God Pardon him! I do, with all my heart; And yet no man like he doth grieve my heart.” Lady Capulet thinks this means she wants him dead with all her heart but actually she is saying the complete opposite and she feels for him with all her heart. “Indeed, I never shall be satisfied
With Romeo, till I behold him--dead—is my poor heart“, she is hesitating to say dead on she really is saying she wants to hold him in her arms and that she does not want Romero dead but in-fact her heart is “dead” without him. This is dramatic irony and it is keeping us anxious and alert never quite sure what will happen next. “O, how my heart abhors. To hear him named, and cannot come to him.” she is pining for Romero in front of her mother with all her heart however lady Capulet remains naïve she is probably more caught up in what she is about to say than what Juliet is saying to her now.
Lady Capulet does not realise what Juliet is saying, “Find thou the means, and I'll find such a man. But now I'll tell thee joyful tidings, girl.” This is ironic because they are not joyful tidings but terrible ones. “Marry, my child” she says, Juliet’s horror would be fully reflected in the shocked response of the audience, the growing feeling of a impending tragedy has intensified with a new sense and atmosphere of shock horror. Juliet furiously replies, “He shall not make me there a joyful bride!” She is stunned that her real beloved husband has just departed from his balcony window and she is told she is to publicly marry the County Paris, “Early next Thursday Morn”. This is where the dramatic irony is in the scene are at its peak we are feeling Juliet’s frustration and shock. Juliet shocks us and the Lady Capulet with her passionate and impulsive response to Lady Capulet’s “joyful” news. This brings up anxiety for us because we are frightened for Juliet and nervous to see how Lady Capulet and Lord Capulet respond.
Lady Capulet saying, “Here comes your father; tell him so yourself. And see how he will take it at your hands.” Builds up anxiety for us because we await like Juliet the coming of the Lord Capulet and we know he will not take kindly to the news. At first when we hear from him he is a very concerned doting father and is clearly fond of Juliet he is also confident the news will make Juliet happy this makes us anxious because we know that Juliet is not at all happy about the marriage. We see Capulet making a long interrupted speech and we can imagine Juliet trembling with emotion listening in fear waiting for his reaction and we are waiting also.
Capulet is extremely angry at Juliet’s direct refusal of the generous offer he has made and there is fear in the atmosphere for Juliet as Capulet calls her a, “Tallow Face”, and various other insults. We feel upset and troubled by Capulet’s words like Juliet does and we feel very anxious tense and upset by what is happening. By the end of the harsh duels of words and angry exchange of feelings Juliet is left shattered and exhausted weeping. The audience feel immersed and probably want to comfort Juliet. The atmosphere has changed to bewilderment and sorrow, due to the news and anger expressed by all parties involved.
There is dramatic irony as Lady Capulet almost predicts what is to come, this line is typical of the attitude of the wealthy upper class in Elizabethan times ignorant and scornful, “Ay, sir; but she will none, she gives you thanks. I would the fool were married to her grave!” This is ironic because the “fool” Juliet does go to her grave for her marriage with Romero. This makes the audience afraid because they know now Juliet will die and they are anxious because they have become fond of her.
Capulet starts to refer to Juliet in the third person as he is about to explode this makes us very anxious.
“How! will she none? doth she not give us thanks?
Is she not proud? doth she not count her blest,”
He starts calling her “she” and talking to her wife and he is clearly very angry and a bit confused over what Juliet is saying. He is in disbelief of Juliet’s defiance of him and her impudence. After Juliet confirms that she does not want the marriage he does explode shouting such terrible insults like, “How now, how now, chop-logic!” Capulet rambles furiously. He imitates Juliet, “What is this? 'Proud,' and 'I thank you,' and 'I thank you not;'
and yet 'not proud,' mistress minion, you,” we now feel very upset for her because he is so rude and angry. This is very shocking because just beforehand we had his peaceful ramblings and now we have his angry ones. Capulet even threatens to hit her this makes us feel very anxious, “My fingers itch”. The argument ends with a ultimatum from Capulet, “An you be mine, I'll give you to my friend; And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets,”.
When Lady Capulet says to her husband, “You are too hot” she is trying to calm him down this illustrates how angry he really is. However comments like this and ones from the nurse only seem to serve to infuriate him further.
Upon turning to the nurse for support, her last hope, she is rejected with the comment, “I think it best you are married to the County”. The nurse who we know to have supported Juliet and who has been more than a friend throughout the whole of Juliet’s life tells her to marry County Paris knowing that Juliet is already married to Romeo. Juliet feels betrayed and let down by her nurse when she says “Amen” she means “Amen” do a curse on the nurse for her betrayal.
Juliet now has to deceive the nurse, “Well, thou hast comforted me marvellous much. Go in: and tell my lady I am gone, Having displeased my father, to Laurence' cell, To make confession and to be absolved.” She has resorted to Father Laurence because all those closest to her have deserted her, she feels very betrayed and we get a unpleasant feeling from Juliet as she curses her beloved nurse and searches for a alternative even if it the last choice she’ll ever make.
This has a very powerful cumulative effect that both audience and Juliet feel. A succession of disappointments leaves Juliet quite alone her own mother seems to disown her at the end of the scene, “Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word: Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.” The entire audience would pity her and understand her woe. The beginning of the scene just a moment ago but for Juliet seeming life days has been left behind, the play is on a one-way street to disaster, and the audience know this. The blueprint for a downfall has been made. There is a atmosphere of loneliness in the air the shock and anger gone, the horror sunk in and you are left with a deep strong element of sadness as we realise there are few choices left for Juliet.
The last line of the scene gives it a chilling end. Juliet says to herself, “If all else fail, myself have the power to die” this is a fitting end to such a scene. It would add a suicidal atmosphere to the play and this line would shock the audience.
The role of Lord Capulet the father of Juliet would be an interesting one to direct. There is a contrast of moods involved. Capulet has to turn from a mellow and soothing to angry and violent. I would have him first walking over to Juliet’s bed and cradling her in his arms soothing her wave of tears.
Then Capulet after hearing Juliet’s opinion of the proposed marriage lines 139-145 would sound most astonished and harshly inquisitive as he asks her “Will she none?”. But then as Juliet tells him through her own voice she will not marry the County Paris and during this his expression would change to anger and he would shout his next sets of lines 149-158, 160-168, and 176-196. He would be thoroughly ashamed and furious that his own daughter could defy him in such a way.
He would be pacing around the room red in the face with anger and bellowing with his whole voice. He would sound very threatening when talking. On line 164 when Capulet says, “My fingers itch”, this meaning he wants to hit her, he would grab her violently shaking her body and raising his hand after the shaking. Juliet would squeal and he would drop her to the ground angrily.
In this contrast of emotional environments the room would be transformed from a world dominated by love and slight sadness into a raging storm of fury brewed by Juliet and even more Capulet. Music and lightening would have to be altered to accommodate for the change in emotion. The music would be faster more deep and angry to show the anger in the room. The lighting would have to be dimmed to reflect the darker emotions.
This scene is so important because it keeps the audience on the edge of the seats as Juliet is thrown from one happy situation to a sad one and then to an angry fearful one and then finally to a desperate upset one. Shakespeare successfully manages this tension as he flings us from one situation to another always keeping us on out toes. This is a complicated scene to direct because there are so many moods and feelings to be considered and Shakespeare does not use stage directions. I was very involved when reading Romeo and Juliet especially in this scene because Juliet is so desperate and there is so much dramatic irony.
