Friar Lawrence begins by welcoming the morning and saying good bye to the night that has just past.
“The grey – eyed morn smiles on the frowning night, Check’ ring the eastern clouds with streaks of light;” this short passage shows that Friar Lawrence is talking about the difference between day and night.
Friar Lawrence then talks about Mother Nature and its beauty. He compares the natural flowers to a feeding baby, then again explaining that all good can turn to bad. The flowers can be a vital medicine, or can be a poison that could kill that same person. This is emphasising on the fact that everything should be treated with respect.
In this soliloquy, there is a great deal of emotion towards the flowers. Friar Lawrence treasures them as they bring him lots of good. Romeo is on his way to Friar Lawrence whilst Friar Lawrence is saying his soliloquy. Romeo wants to ask Friar Lawrence to marry Romeo to Juliet. We soon find out that Friar Lawrence does marry them as he thinks that it will stop the family from feuding. The audience are happy that Romeo and Juliet are going to get married, but they are also scared in case they get caught.
The next soliloquy I am going to study is taken form Act 4, Scene 3. This scene takes place in Juliet’s bedroom. She has told her father that she is willing to marry Paris, but through dramatic irony we know that she intends to fake her death and to be with Romeo. A great del has happened before and leading up to Juliet’s soliloquy. For example, Romeo has been banished from Verona and Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin is dead. Friar Lawrence has planned to write a letter to Romeo explaining what is going to happen and what Romeo has to do. Again though dramatic irony we know that this does not go as planned.
In Juliet’s soliloquy she explains how she is scared and she is wondering when she will next meet Romeo and if he knows of the plans.
“God knows when we meet shall meet again,” Juliet is scared and lonely. Many questions are going through her head, she says that she must act alone, as otherwise she will be talked out of it and will have to marry Paris. “My dismal scene one needs must act alone”
Juliet has wild emotional thoughts that make her more nervous, she thinks that Friar Lawrence may have tampered the potion to kill Juliet to cove up the fact that he married Romeo and Juliet. Another thought is that what if Romeo does not get to Juliet in time, what will she do alone in the mausoleum.
Juliet is a very emotional character, with a strong and willing mind. She has the courage to take the potion even though she knows full well that it could kill her.
Juliet’s soliloquy has one major contracting point, this being that although the potion may help Juliet to be with Romeo, but on the other hand She says that Friar Lawrence may have tampered with the potion and it may kill her.
Juliet’s soliloquy where she prepares to take the potion has a great deal of emotion and feeling. These emotions bring the audience to the edge of their seats. They will be wondering what will happen next. We have learnt from the soliloquy that Juliet will do anything to be with her beloved Romeo and that she does not want to marry Paris. The length of the soliloquy has a great effect on the audience, as it is long, there is more said causing the atmosphere to be tense.
Finally my third soliloquy is taken from Act 5, Scene 3. This is Romeo’s final speech in the play. He has heard that Juliet is dead, although we as the audience know that she is not. The soliloquy begins when Romeo kills Paris. Paris asks to be buried next to Juliet, Romeo agrees. He continues, saying that people are happy when they die. But Romeo says that he will not be happy because he wanted to be with Juliet. He then talks about how beautiful Juliet looks even though she is dead and that death has not stolen her beauty. This is ironic, as the audience know that Juliet is not dead and merely sleeping. After he says that he hopes that the poison the he is to take will kill him quickly.
“O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick”
We have learnt a great deal from this soliloquy. We have learnt that Romeo does have good in him and he believes that he will be with Juliet in heaven, but he will not.
The language that is used is excellent to describe the emotions and feeling of Romeo. It described what is happening in detail. We can relate to how Romeo is feeling from what is being said. The words may bring the odd tear to the audience. As an audience, we know all that has happened and that Juliet is not dead, she just appears dead, due to the potion, and that the effects will soon wear off.
Romeo takes the potion thinking that the will be with Juliet. But we the audience know that Romeo is cutting himself off from Juliet. During the latter part of the soliloquy, there is a great deal of dramatic tension. Making the audience waning to shout out to Romeo.
In my coursework essay I have commented on many points of all three of the soliloquies that I chose. For each soliloquy I studied the following; what has happened before the soliloquy, the content of the speech, what I learnt from past or future events, what I learned about the character, effectiveness of language and the dramatic effectiveness of the speech. I think that all three soliloquies have great meaning behind them and the each conveys different moods and messages. They also affect the atmosphere of the play. I particularly enjoyed Romeo’s soliloquy as it had massive amounts of detail; there was a great deal of feeling behind what was said. Overall all three excellent in there own way and were a great pleasure to see as the audience.
