In the play, Mercutio (great friend of Romeo’s) and Benvolio (Romeo’s cousin) want Romeo to go the ball as they, and Montague and Lady Montague, are very concerned about Romeo and think he is spending to much time mourning and being depressed. It was Mercutio and Benvolio’s intention to take Romeo’s mind of Rosaline and they did this by taking him to a ball.
In Act 1 Scene 5 of the play the Capulets have a ball to show they are all mighty and powerful and to show off their riches and fortune. They also have a ball because they want to make their daughter, Juliet, meet Count Paris (a young man who the Capulet’s want to be Juliet’s husband). In this scene Shakespeare managed to make us believe that there is a lot of people at this ball by making it very loud and energetic. He does this by making everyone dance to the music so it looks like the room is very busy. This is the scene that is gate-crashed by the Montague’s and Shakespeare deals with the aspects of the scene by the talking and notification of the feelings of character in the scenes before. In the Baz Lurhmann film of Romeo and Juliet the Capulets invite many people to attend their ball in fancy dress. Juliet is dressed as an angel who symbolises purity and stunning beauty just as Romeo sees her. Romeo dresses as a knight so Juliet sees him as her knight in shinning armour. In the Zeffirelli film Juliet is dressed in red which symbolises passion and love. Romeo is plagued with her unearthly beauty; ‘What lady’s that which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight’. In Shakespeare’s play the Capulets invited many people to attend their ball but not in fancy dress, just with a mask to cover their face. In both films and the play the Montagues, who were uninvited, could sneak into the ball unnoticed- disguised by their costumes. This was a clever way of getting the audience feel the tension of the unwanted guests.
From the beginning of the play until Act 1 Scene 5 we find out that Romeo is in ‘love’ with a girl called Rosaline (a Capulet). Romeo is a very loving person and would fight for what he believes in. When Romeo and Rosaline split up, Romeo suffers greatly at the loss of his lover. Since they split up Romeo had become lonelier and tried to avoid contact with his family and friends. Mercutio had asked him to come gatecrash the Capulet’s party with his friends. Romeo was reluctant to do so by using heaviness and depression, but Mercutio tries very hard to persuaded him using images of lightness and happiness. Mercutio says that he should “borrow cupid’s wings and soar with them above a common bound”, meaning that he should forget about his love by becoming the love creator ‘Cupid’ who is the god of love and shoots arrows that cause humans to fall in love. Romeo says that he is “too sore enpirced with his shaft to soar with his light feathers, and so bound I cannot bound a pitch above dull woe: Under love’s heavy burden do I sink.” So Romeo believes he could but couldn’t “soar with his light feathers” as he is “under love’s heavy burden” and he will sink. These two speeches from the play suggest that Romeo is trying very hard not to go to the ball and wind his way out of it. Mercutio replies to Romeo saying, “And to sink in it should you burden love, too great oppression for a tender thing”. This means that if Romeo can’t rise to the occasion he will be a burden on the one he loves. This convinces Romeo to go as he still has love for Rosaline.
In the book, once inside the ball, Romeo dances with others and seems to be enjoying himself. He discovers a beautiful girl who he can only describe as holy. This girl is Juliet and throughout one song they both fall into a gaze of each other’s eyes. They move closer to one another and Juliet wants to reveal to herself the masked man at whom she gazes upon. They talk to one another combining a sonnet (poem of 10 syllables and 14 lines) and this makes the audience feel the bond between Romeo and Juliet. Their meeting is only brief as they get interrupted by the Nurse (carer of Juliet) because her ‘mother craves a word.’ As Juliet leaves to speak with her mother Romeo asks the nurse who the mother is. She replies, “Her mother is the lady of the house”, so Romeo found out that his real love is an enemy to him. The audience now found out how unfortunate and hopeless their love is as they will not be able to declare it because it would never be allowed.
Tybalt is another main character in the play and is the Lady Capulet’s nephew. So far in the play we found out that Tybalt is a very angry and aggressive person. He expresses his anger in a public fight between the Montague’s in Act 1 scene 1 of the play. In the banquet scene, Tybalt becomes aware of the Romeo’s presence “by his voice” and becomes greatly infuriated. He believes that their presence at the Capulet’s own banquet is outrageous and outstandingly offensive. He also believes that sneaking through in a comic mask or “antic face” makes Romeo think that the Capulet’s are fools and they won’t find out about him. Tybalt asks his servant to fetch his rapier (sword) and say’s, “now by the stock and the honour of my kin, to strike him dead and hold to a sin”, meaning by the honour of his family he will kill Romeo, but will consider it to not be a sin. As Tybalt receives his sword and begins to look for Romeo, Capulet tells Tybalt to “content thee” meaning to calm himself and that he should “let him alone” (leave him be.) He goes on to say that “Varona brags about him” and he is “to be a virtuous and well-governed youth” meaning that he is very good mannered. As Capulet believes he is doing no harm and says he would not “Here in my house do him disparagement”, meaning he wouldn’t dishonour him in their house. Tybalt unwilling responds to Capulet’s demand and decides to “withdraw” from the room.
From Act 1 scenes 1-5 we become very aware of that hate of the two houses, Capulet and Montague. Tybalt has shown himself to be the most angry and aggressive character so far. He is a young man hoping to one-day take over the leadership of the Capulet’s. We find out that Tybalt is very unwilling to keep peace between the two families at the beginning of the play when they run into one another in the street. Benvolio try’s to stop the servants from each house arguing by drawing his sword to “part these men” and keep the peace. Tybalt replies with “What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montague’s, and thee. Have at thee, coward” , Tybalt is basically telling Benvolio that he is about to attack him. These words are very fierce and raging, showing us that he doesn’t want peace between the families he wants war, punishing all Montague’s to the grave. We also find out that Tybalt doesn’t want to keep the peace in Act 1 scene 5 when he is preparing to kill Romeo at his family’s banquet. This scene shows us the lengths he’d go to, as it would be a public death in front of Capulet’s guests. Both scenes show the intense hatred Tybalt has for the Montague’s. These scenes make the audience feel disgusted at Tybalt and concern deeply for the protection of Romeo and the Montague’s. The audience can now exhibit these premonitions/dreams of death that Romeo has experienced as his fate and misfortune is being revealed.
When Romeo goes to the banquet, he is going to see his lover Rosaline. Aside the feelings he says he has for her, he meets and dances with a woman called Juliet and is overwhelmed at her gracefulness, beauty and charm. Although he says he is in love with Rosaline, “Out of her favour where I am in love”, he quickly falls for Juliet within first sight and becomes oblivious to his surroundings, and in the Baz Lurhmann film, somewhat enchanted by his new love. In the Baz Lurhmann film, Romeo takes an ecstasy tablet before he enters the banquet and we get to see the experience through his eyes and it is clear to see that he is in another world but also experiencing extreme pleasure because this is what the drug does. Romeo goes to the bathroom and puts his head underwater to clear himself from the drug. Baz Lurhmann set up the film so Romeo sees Juliet for the first time after he takes the ecstasy tablet because when he sees her he goes in to another world again because she is like a new drug. Although his first sight of Juliet feels like it is untrue he feels extreme pleasure (like he did from the ecstasy tablet) and he feels as if this sight was real and he wasn’t imagining.
The film and the play both show the audience how although Romeo has admitted to loving Rosaline, he quickly changes his feelings. It’s clear to see that he likes Juliet straight away because, until the banquet scene, he was always sad and lonely and his emotions changed as her elegance had almost put a spell on him as he became hypnotised by her charm. The audience can first understand the love he has for Juliet as the first words spoken form a sonnet. Juliet also speaks within the sonnet and it shows a clear desire for one another by isolating the lovers from Capulet’s other guests, and emphasises the special moment of their first meeting. The poetic language Romeo uses refers to Juliet as being ‘Holy’ as she seems so divine and unique to him. The sonnet shows the audience how not only Romeo feels this way, but she feels the same way about Romeo. Juliet replies the first four lines that are spoken by Romeo with four rhyming lines of his quatrain. When Romeo first speaks he talks of Rosaline and describes why he is so bothered. He uses the words “loving hate” to describe the feud between the families and his love for Rosaline. The words ‘loving hate’ form an oxymoron, which is a contradiction couplet. In the sonnet he says, “The gentle sin is this” and ‘gentle sin’ is an oxymoron aswell. He uses this to impress Juliet by saying that although he wants to touch her, because she is so sacred he doesn’t want it to be sinful he wants it to be enjoyable. The beginning of the sonnet makes us view Romeo as a “pilgrim” worshipping the “holy shrine” which is Juliet. Throughout the sonnet Romeo wants to kiss Juliet and says this by referring to “prayer” suggesting that she should “let lips do what hands do” in prayer and touch (kiss). Juliet agrees but says, “Saints do not move” meaning Romeo should take the initiative and take the first step himself and kiss her. They kiss and as they kiss again Juliet says, “You kiss by th’ book” meaning that he kisses like an expert, almost as if he has studied a book. After this is said the nurse interrupts them as Juliet’s mother wants to speak to her. This is when they both found out the identity of each other and realise they are enemy’s by their name. This is where the audience find out the doomed fate of Romeo and Juliet.
Throughout this scene the audience encounter the unreal world of the lovers. We get to see Romeo almost hypnotised by his new love, Juliet, in the banquet scene and although he is not welcome he forgets his worries and focuses on nothing but her. When the couple meet and dance it’s almost as if the people around them disappear because they are in a world of love and all of the concerns they have are left behind in the real world. When the audience see the interaction of the lovers they want to forget the worries aswell as this love seems so special. This meeting shows us that the couple are so happy they wouldn’t want to dream because reality is better. This builds up the shock for the audience when Romeo and Juliet find that they are enemies, making them feel the opposite way and wanting to be dreaming all the time as in reality they couldn’t be together.
The aspects I have written about show that the language, emotion and doomed future of the “star-cross’d” lovers get the audience involved in act 1 scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet. Audiences’ love romantic scenes so when Romeo and Juliet first meet and instantly fall in love the audience are drawn into the emotion and want to be part of the play. The lovers use romantic language in the play and this also helps to get the audience involved. In conclusion the relationship conflict is the main compelling aspect as their love to one another is a dramatic irony and this gets the audience involved as they want to know what happens to the lovers. The dramatic irony in this scene is the fact that Romeo and Juliet fall in love not knowing they are mortal enemies. This scene makes the audience feel very sympathetic for the two lovers as they have just expressed an extreme happiness and passion for each other and then to find out that they are enemies by name making their relationship not possible to reveal.