After this illustrious incident, all of the fighting had been halted and at the imminent colossal party of the Capulets, they were making their last preparations. All of the people who were involved in the party were charging around frantically, so to make sure that everything was organised for this extreme event. This event was to be stunning and all the decorations were glistening in the night sky and all of the moon’s energies providing the light for the gathering. In the midst of all of the rushing, Juliet’s mother was calling her with the utmost loudness. She wished to discuss the matter of a new love with her, in a fast and furious way, against time to tell her of this amazing news.
At the time when the party went underway, most of the people had arrived at the party, having the utmost enjoyment. All of the people had dressed up magnificently and all needn’t try and stick out because all of their dresses showed what type of person they were. The people who were making their way towards the party but who were trying to make another member were, Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio. Romeo was trying to overcome the fact that he was rejected by the all-dazzling, Rosaline. Mercutio, who was trying to persuade the lovesick Romeo to come to the party, had managed to get him to come with him to the party; he had said that Rosaline would be there and that he would be able to see her and talk to her. Although the Montagues shouldn’t have been able to bypass the Capulets, Mercutio was not a Montague and therefore was able to enter the party freely. This was a masked ball, so they were able to disguise themselves.
The three went on towards the party, after Mercutio had got carried away about talking about dreams. They were thrilled to be there, at the party. Romeo had still been thinking about Rosaline, but all of this had changed when the power of love had taken an unexpected twist: Romeo had noticed a young lady and he had instantly had fallen in love, forgetting about the recent love of Rosaline. Both of the adolescents had fallen in love with each other, looking at each other with irresistible passion. Little did they know that they were the only siblings of their biggest hatreds; The Montagues and The Capulets.
Romeo was shown as a knight in shining armour in the Lurhmann version of the play; he was portrayed as a knight because he was a good and brave person. Juliet was portrayed as an angel in the Lurhmann version because she was pure and kind, although in the Zeffereli version of the play she was wearing all red, which symbolises love and passion. Neither of these qualities which Romeo could have resisted.
When Romeo had seen this burden of beauty, in line 41 he asked “What lady’s that which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight?” This means that he would have seemed to be better as a person if he had Juliet by his side, like holding her hand would have made him whole as well. He is asking a servant about whom she is. He begins to think only of her radiating beauty.
He begins to drift off and starts talking to himself, He begins with from line 43-44 saying “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night” he is saying that she is the brightest and that she is like a torch but at the centre of attention, which is bright and wonderful. Glistening beauty, which is unmatched, on its own, in the night. He carries on with “As a rich jewel in a Ethiop’s ear: Beauty too rich for use, for earth to dear” This means that she is like a jewel which is unmatched in the darkness, and that she is too astounding, like an angel because earth is too delicate to handle her beauty. “So shows a snowy owl trooping with crows, as yonder lady o’er her fellows shows” This means that she is the only pure one out of the people who are at the party, and that all of the other people are all less beautiful, surrounding her.
Tybalt discovers that Romeo is at the party and he wants to strike him down. He then goes on to say “He shall not endure him” because he is at the enemy party and it is a disgrace. His uncle forces him to decline because he doesn’t want a mutiny among his guests.
Romeo them recites a sonnet. It begins with “If I profane with my unworthiest hand, This holy shrine, the gentle sin this is:”, is saying that his hand is dirty and that he is not good enough but he says that it is a Holy place and what he is about to do isn’t a terrible sin and that it is acceptable. After another part from Romeo Juliet replies with “For saints have hands pilgrims hand do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers kiss.” She is saying that saints are much holier than pilgrims and that hand to hand as far as it goes because it is like kissing in a sense. Juliet is mildly resisting Romeo to be half-decent. Romeo begins to show grief in words by saying “O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do, They pray: lest faith turn to despair” He is saying, let me kiss you or I will become very desperate. Juliet replies with “ Saints don’t move, though grant for prayers’ sake.” She says that she won’t move. Romeo says, “Then move not, while my prayers’ effect I take.” He is saying, don’t move and I shall kiss you.
When Romeo and Juliet find out who they really are, they are both in despair and look at each other with a sorrowful eye, and they still want to see each other as Juliet follows him on the balcony. They are both upset and they know that their love could leave them in agonising pain, which they have, when they kill themselves. Juliet follows him because she is in love and she doesn’t want to leave him, neither does Romeo and they try to stay together. Romeo sneaks back into the party and then meets up with Juliet, which begins a happy event, which leads to despair for both households and themselves.
The idea of courtly love was a tradition in Europe, which had dated back to the Middle Ages. There was a set of rules, which they were supposed to follow. These rules were to show the making of an Elizabethan woman. One rule, which they are supposed to follow, is ‘She must spurn his advances in order to preserve her honour and good name’. In the play, two of the cases these rules were used, one was against Rosaline and the other was against Juliet. They both reacted to Romeo in different ways. To Rosaline, this rule was used and she had stopped him from doing any more, although with Juliet she was more joking around because she was interested in him and Rosaline was not. Another I would choose would be ‘Her coldness inflames his passion. He is consumed with melancholy, sighs with grief, and makes his verses about love’. On Rosaline’s side, she had done this and it did inflame his passion for her although she wasn’t in love. He was also very sad about this and he did make up his verses about love. In Juliet’s side, Juliet was only saying all of these things jokily and Romeo made all of his verses of passion and in both cases the rule succeeded.
The iambic pentameter is a poetic way of saying words, in a sentence. With the iambic pentameter; every other syllable in the sentence would have a stress on them, such as:
Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright
te tum te tum te tum te tum te tum And with this his sentences would sound more poetic and interesting to the listening public. It also makes the more important words stand out. This isn’t used in all of the sentences because it would make them all the same and then they would bore to the public and they wouldn’t be as interested in the play as they first thought. Shakespeare uses this rhythm to for the speech between Romeo and Juliet.
If I was to dress up Romeo and Juliet in a fashion to show meaning and symbolism, I would dress up Romeo as a knight, because knights are noble and strong, and they are loyal and look nice. I would dress Juliet in white because white is the sign of purity and goodness and that it is plain, so that it doesn’t seem like she needs to show off to get people’s attention. This also makes the two an excellent match because Romeo is a knight and Juliet is like a goddess and looks like one too.
In conclusion to this essay, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is hopeful and depressing to people who watch it, but it has excellent style and fashion to it that is unmatched. I think that the reason why that they use guns in the movie by Luhrman was because guns are often used in America and they are a problem.
The people in the play are also dressed up appropriately at different times and show whom some of the people are and especially at the party. Juliet is an angel, fragile and beautiful. Romeo is knight, brave and courageous. Tybalt is a devil, evil. Juliet’s mother is Cleopatra, overpowering. Juliet’s father, is Julius Caesar, he is a ruler and wise in engaging in battle, this could have meant to be used when he is talking to Tybalt. All of the main people at the party show who they really are. The film shows a good interpretation of the original play. They have obviously made some changes to the seen to make it more romantic, the play had limitations because they were using two men.
Most of the writing that I have put forward is mainly to my opinion to all of the scripts meaning. I think that the use of a prologue maybe effective in a way but non-effective in others. You already know what is to happen in the play, which builds up anticipation, but there is no surprise in the ending. I do not enjoy knowing what is to come and I would prefer a surprise rather than anticipation for when this event will occur.
