Explore the ways in which Shakespeare creates dramatic tension and interest in Act 1

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Explore the ways in which Shakespeare creates dramatic tension and interest in Act 1

Scene 1 and Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare wrote more than 30 plays in his life time and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is one of his best known works. It is the famous tragedy of a young couple, Romeo and Juliet, who meet and experience love at first sight. However a number of unfortunate events lead to a tragic ending. In Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 1 Scene 5 of this play, Shakespeare’s use of dramatic interest, tension and unusual language and phrases, captivate the audience’s attention from the very beginning.

The play begins with a prologue which instantly sets the scene of the play, ‘In fair Verona, where we lay our scene’.

The prologue, spoken by the Chorus, introduces the audience to the story and summarises the entire play in 14 short lines. It mentions the two families which the lovers come from; the enmity between them is made very clear- ‘from ancient grudge break to new mutiny’.

The prologue claims that the ‘star-crossed lovers take their life’ which immediately sparks interest in the audience and will keep them wanting to watch more, as they will be interested to see how and why the lovers die.

The prologue ends with a rhyming couplet which invites the audience to listen with ‘patient ears’ which brings across the idea that the play is definitely worth watching.

Act 1 Scene 1 of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ begins with the Capulet servants Sampson and Gregory talking about violence: fighting, rape and death, in the streets of Verona. It is an opening full of action, which is used to capture the audience’s attention and create dramatic interest as well as tension. The lines spoken are short and sharp, and it seems like the characters are finishing each others sentences. This creates tension in the scene as the audience will begin to expect a conflict later in the play. When the Montague servants appear, it causes a ‘war of words’ which is then followed by a fight which also foreshadows the violence and death which occur later in the play.

It is in this scene, where many of the important characters are introduced, long before they play a major role in the story. This form of introducing characters creates interest later in the play, when they play a more significant role in the story.

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Benvolio is one of these characters. He is a Montague and enters the story trying to keep the peace and stop the fighting between the servants. However before the fighting has a chance to stop, another important character, Tybalt, enters the scene. Tybalt, a Capulet, immediately creates dramatic interest and tension from his very first line- ‘what are thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee Benvolio, look upon thy death.’

The contrast between Benvolio’s peace loving character and Tybalt’s is clearly shown at this part in the play as the audience is able to see that whilst Benvolio is ...

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