Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to create tension in Act 3, Scene 5. Dramatic Irony is a writing technique, which is when the audience knows something, but the characters in the story or play do not. This is shown in the lines of “Methinks I see thee…as one dead in the bottom of a tomb” This is ironic as it is the last time the lovers will see each other. Dramatic irony is used to create tension in the scene, so the audience will be wondering what will happen later on the play.
Shakespeare uses religious imagery to create tension in Act 5, Scene 3. This is shown in the lines of “Having displeased my father, to Laurence’ cell, To make confession and to be absolved”. This quote shows Juliet portraying her faith in all her troubles that she has been through. The audience can conclude that the people were practicing Christians, and even after everything that has happened, she still has faith. However we know that all that Juliet wanted was to get help from Friar Laurence, as the love of her life had been banished to Mantua, and not really confess her guilt.
In Act 5, Scene 3, you are able to see quite a large range of rhetorical questions. This is because a rhetorical question is a question asked without expecting an answer but for the sake of emphasis or effect. An example of a rhetorical question from this scene is “What, wilt thou wash him from his grave with tears?” Lady Capulet says this, because when she sees Juliet crying, she automatically thinks that it is because of Tybalt’s death. However, we (the audience) know that it really is because of Romeo leaving to Mantua. This question was not expected an answer, so it was mainly used for emphasis, of Lady Capulet once again asking why Juliet cried so much. By the implication that the answer is obvious, it is a means of achieving an emphasis stronger than a direct statement.
A soliloquy is when the character is talking to the audience, revealing their thoughts. At the end of Act 5, Scene 3, Juliet does a short soliloquy telling only the audience her plans. This is shown in the lines of “Ancient damnation! Oh, most wicked fiend” From this line you can understand that Juliet no longer trusts her nurse and she will not confide in her again. Also in the soliloquy Juliet says that she will seek advice from Friar Laurence, and if he cannot help her, she says “if all else fail, myself have power to die”. From this quote you can see that Juliet is madly in love, and is willing to kill herself if not married to Romeo. This device is used so the audience can really understand the character for who it is, not faking or pretending in front of the other characters. Shakespeare uses soliloquies in a lot of different plays, for example Richard III, as well as Romeo and Juliet. From this we can conclude that in the 16th Century soliloquies was a good dramatic device to be used, as it made the audience feel more intimate with the characters.
In Act 3, Scene 5 there is a lot of metaphors. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another. An example is when Capulet compares Juliet to a boat, a sea, and a wind. Her eyes are the sea, because they ebb and flow in tears. Her body is the boat, because she's floating in her own tears. Her sighs are the winds, "Who, raging with thy tears, and they with them, / Without a sudden calm, will overset / Thy tempest-tossed body". In short, Juliet will quickly drown in the storm of her own grief, unless there is a "sudden calm," and Capulet believes the calm will come with her marriage to the man he has chosen for her (Paris). This device is used to make something either more exaggerated or different. In the 16th Century the parents of the young lady were the one to choose who she should marry, and the girl would have to accept it. Now the parents rarely have a say on this subject. I think this has changed because the young girls started rebelling, and doing whatever they can to get heard, and have their own opinion and choices.
Personification is when a nonliving thing is given human or living traits. An example from Romeo and Juliet is in Act 3, Scene 5. It says, "Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day/Stands tiptoe on the misty mountaintops." Since it can't stand on tiptoe and is a lifelike characteristic, this is personification. This quote means that the day is like a rooster stretching itself up to crow, is perched on the top of the world, ready to announce its jolly ("jocund") arrival, but for Romeo it means death. The device is used to give more meaning to the whole theme of the sentence. In the 16th Century and now, personification was/is constantly being used, because it makes an object sound more real and interesting.
To conclude, Shakespeare used a range of different dramatic devices in this scene, to create tension, emphasise emotions, and make the play more interesting and alive. The main devices used were rhetorical questions, soliloquy, extended metaphor and personification.
I think that this scene is very sad, because the audience knows that it is the last time the couple will see each other again. Also Juliet is being forced to marry Paris, even though she is madly and deeply in love with Romeo.
A 16th Century audience would be familiar enough with the bewitching passion of love to feel some sympathy with the young couple. Also at that time, marriage was done for interest, meaning money, status or power. But marriage for affect, meaning love, friendship or sexual attraction was morally reprehensible. Affect was of secondary importance to interest. A 21st Century audience would find the play not a rebellious as the 16th Century audience probably would. However I think that now they would think to marry for love and attraction, but never for money or position, which is the opposite of the 16th Century. In my opinion, when I read the book for the first time, I thought it was very romantic, because of how they fell in the love at first sight. However I thought it was quite stupid how Juliet killed herself for Romeo, and vice-versa, instead of speaking up to her parents.
