Romeo compares Juliet to many spectacular things. He describes her by saying “so shows a snowy dove trooping with crows as yonder lady o’er her follows shows” meaning ‘she’s more beautiful than the other girls – like a dove among a load of crows’. He also compares her to “a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear”. Strictly, Ethiop means Ethiopian, though the word was used for any black African. This is religious as he is comparing her to a goddess wearing rich jewellery. At this stage, he is in love with her, forgetting his love for Rosaline. He believes that anyone he has loved before was not real love. This is shown by “Did my heart love ‘til now? Forswear it sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty ‘til this night”, this demonstrates that he is having suspicions about himself that he doesn’t know whether to trust his feelings. This also is a declaration of guilt. He now considers that all he has said before was wrong. This is one of the ways that Shakespeare makes this scene dramatically effective.
Initially, Tybalt is infuriated as Romeo is the descendant of his uncles’ greatest rival and Romeo is here in Capulets’ house. He is aggravated that Romeo is wearing a comical mask and he thinks Romeo is there to mock their celebrations. He believes that because of his family name and honour he has to take some action against this foe. I know this from “Come hither, covered with an antic face, to fleer and scorn at our solemnity? Now by the stock and honour of my kin, to strike him dead I hold it not a sin” This illustrates that he is angry and desires to take control of the situation by attacking Romeo for being in Capulets’ house. Tybalt thinks this is a fine way to take control because he is infuriated by Romeo’s arrival at the party.
Capulet is unperturbed by Tybalt’s frame of mind and tells him that Romeo isn’t doing anything dreadful at this time, “Content thee, gentle coz, let him alone, a bears him like a portly gentleman and to say truth”. This is dramatic because Capulet believes that Romeo is at this current moment acting like a dignified, well-mannered gentleman and Tybalt is prohibited to attack him. Capulet seems to be a calm man trying to keep the peace. “I would not for the wealth of all this town, here in my house do him disparagement”. This is Capulet’s way of saying ‘I would not want to treat him badly in my house, for all the capital of Verona’. This confirms that he is trying to keep the peace and doesn’t want any brutality in his household (especially against a Montague) whilst the town of Verona is watching at this party.
Tybalt’s mood develops as the scene progresses; he gets angrier as his uncle tells him that he must ignore Romeo. Tybalt explains to himself that he is shaking because he needs to act, he is so angry yet he is trying to restrain himself because of what his uncle has said to him. He then says “I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet convert to bitterest gall” this signifies that he will leave it now but when Romeo does something else he will attack as this emotion will stew and act like a poison on him. This is effective because it will cause fears amongst the audience about what Tybalt will do to Romeo.
When Romeo and Juliet meet in this scene they are passionate, this can be seen in the quote “Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again” he is answering Juliet as she says that her lips have committed a sin and he asks her to commit that offence again and kiss him. This shows how quickly they become romantic. They also use language from the same semantic field; words such as ‘holy’, ‘shrine’, and ‘pilgrims’. These are from the field of religion. Romeo uses these words to seduce Juliet. He already loves her and he is trying to get her to fall in love with him. He tries to make her feel like a goddess.
Dramatic tension is produced and sustained by the use of a sonnet. The sonnet has rhyming pattern abab cbcb dede ff. Shakespeares’ sonnets usually rhyme ababcdcdefefgg. Just as the final rhyme is concluded, so the meeting comes to a peak and the lovers kiss. This sonnet is reminding the audience of what the prologue stated. The prologue said that two people would fall in love but die later in the play. This sonnet is in the same style; bringing the message that although this is the romantic scene we must not forget that death and hatred are just around the corner for these families.
Romeo discovers that Juliet is a Capulet when the nurse interrupts them whilst they are kissing. Romeo asks the nurse who Juliets’ mother is. The nurse replies “her mother is the lady of the house”. This is when he finds out who Juliet really is. Romeo replies when no one is around “Is she Capulet? O dear Account! My life is my foe’s debt,” implying that his life is in his enemy’s power.
Juliet finds out that Romeo is a Montague, when she asks the nurse to go and ask his name. The nurse returns the with the answer “His name is Romeo, and a Montague. The only son of your great enemy” to this Juliet replies to herself “My only love sprung from my only hate, too early unknown and known too late.” Indicating that the only individual that she has ever loved was brought into the world by the only people she hates that although now she knows who he is its too late.
I imagine that Romeo and Juliet feel quite confused at the end of this scene. We know this from “Too early seen unknown and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy.” This shows that Juliet is in love with Romeo, but she fell in love with him when she did not know who he was. Romeo feels the same. We know this from “My life is in my foe’s debt” meaning that his life is now owed to his families’ enemy. I believe that this is true love compared to the love that Romeo thought he had for Rosaline. The end of this scene creates and prepares the audience for the imminent tragedy.
This scene is essential to the rest of the play because if Romeo had not fell in love with Juliet in this scene then the play would just lose interest. However, now they are in love the prologue is starting to be fulfilled. As they have fallen in love, and are from feuding families, the play can now develop and death and hatred be featured. I think that Shakespeare has been successful in making this scene dramatically effective. The use of a sonnet between Romeo and Juliet reminds us of the prologue; the language used between Tybalt and Capulet and the language used between Romeo and Juliet. These make the scene dramatic. He uses these questions of, what will happen to Romeo and Juliet? What will Tybalt Do? What will Capulet do to stop Tybalt? These questions are used to keep the audience interested. The audience will not want to miss any of the play in case they fail to see an excellent or significant section. The themes of love and hate are still relevant to audiences today; many people are still falling in love and marrying, many are still fighting and being punished for their actions.
