Explanation Why the Balcony Scene is so important to the Play "Romeo and Juliet".

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Moustafa Wahby        English Coursework – Mrs. Lord        09/05/07

Explanation Why the Balcony Scene is so important to the Play “Romeo and Juliet”

        Right before this scene Romeo and Juliet had just met in the Capulet party. They danced and talked briefly in the party and Romeo learnt she was Capulet, and even worse she was a daughter of the house of Capulet.

        In this scene Romeo sneaks into the Capulet’s orchard. Juliet’s balcony overlooks the orchard. This is the scene where Romeo and Juliet get to talk properly. At the end they arrange for them to marry. There is always a sense of tension to the readers as there is always a chance of Romeo getting caught by the guards or by Juliet’s wet nurse.

        We learn a great deal about Romeo in this scene, this adds to the importance of the scene. We learn he is sincere about loving Juliet, not like Rosaline. He commits to her and risks getting caught and maybe even killed just to look at her, he was not sure he was going to communicate with her when he went to the orchard, he just wanted to look at her. He has become more romantic, more loving and most importantly he is softer than he was before. Romeo says “It is my lady, O it is my love”. The audience wants to think he is sincere so that the tragedy at the end is meaningful. If the young lovers were not really in love the audience would not think much of anything that happens, but they were truly in love it would add to the sadness of the tragedy

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        At first Juliet is skeptical of the whole arrangement. She says, “I have no joy of this contract tonight”. This shows she is hesitant and is not as impulsive as Romeo is.

        Later on in the scene she changes her mind and starts to think along the same lines as Romeo. I think this is because she realizes she is in love with Romeo and discovers that something deep down within her is longing for him. She becomes optimistic and looks forward to the marriage. She decides that Romeo is the man she loves and that will not change. She ...

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