How does Shakespeare make Act 1, Scene 1 exciting and dramatic?

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most memorable plays. The play is based on star-crossed lovers with tragedy, violence, love and arguments. The story of Romeo and Juliet is about two lovers that can’t be together because their families are enemies, but nothing can’t stop them and at the end both of them due in a dramatic way. The main themes are romance, tragedy and conflict. The play is relevant for us because those kinds of things still happen, young people kill them self because of love and in some families, the girls can’t be able to pick her own husbands, the females have to do the house work and the males are supposed to bring money home. The play was set in the 14th century. Shakespeare had to face loads of challenges to make the play interesting, also he had to keep on improving, to not get the audience throw the food on stage, if they have done that, then this meant that the play is boring. Theatre in Shakespeare era was a place where rich people could go to rest, and have fun, whereas the poor people would be able to earn money, by selling beer, snacks, or collecting the lost money. Theatre nowadays is a place that must be cultural; you are not allowed to throw food on stage, if you do so you have to leave. In Shakespeare era there weren’t any spot lights or CD players which form you could be able to play music, or add sound effect, so Shakespeare had to make scene dramatic and exciting by costumes, voices, words and body language.

The servants are the first characters on the stage. They grab the audience’s attention because servants are not very important, they are on a bottom shelf in your life, and they are also known as not educated people. Thought that all the best things should only happened to them, but over a time everything has changed. Some people would like seeing servant because they are normally low status, so called groundlings. The rich people might felt weird when they saw someone poor on the stage, because how can someone lower classes than them perform, also they never could expect that.

The opening scene begins with just two characters on the stage and soon there where more than ten, fighting fiercely. Shakespeare decision to include a fight at the beginning was clever because he made the play exciting and dangerous; most of the people enjoyed it, because when the beginning is great the rest must be much better. `Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them which is disgrace to them, if they bare it` this shows that Sampson is planning everything out carefully, and knows what going to make them fight. Sampson and Gregory are very good ...

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Tybalt and Benvolio have very contrasting characters. Tybalt seems to be angry while Benvolio is calm. ‘Part, fools!’ this shows that Benvolio is trying to stop the fight; this also tells as that Benvolio is a peace maker and that he has manners and he is higher status. The explanation mark show’s that he is shouting and trying get attention from the fighters. On the other hand, Tybalt says `As I hate hell, all Montagues and thee`. This quote suggests he is angry and want to continue the trouble, so called fight. The audience might enjoy seeing him on stage. He also shows that he like to be everywhere, where trouble begins, he also must be the start of it, or join in, somebody else’s trouble.

Shakespeare then changes the mood of opening scene from a serious fight to comical rows between husbands and wives. When Lady Capulet says `A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword?` it may make the audience giggle or laugh because a women is shouting, at her husband and making him feel old and unusable. The scene could be also dramatic, Lord Capulet could go up and hit the women, and show her no respect. The scene is also exciting because in this scene woman is showing no respect to man, which normally is the other way round. This shows the audience that not only men can be in control, and they are the one that should wear pants, which mean to be in control. The males in the audience would have felt ashamed because the other main male character, is not able to join the fight, because of his wife, she didn’t let him. Women however would felt joyful because a woman is keeping a man on a short string.

As the scene continues, the fight escalates and Shakespeare introduces Prince Escalus to try and stop the violence. The Prince represents a figure of a strong person, which everybody should be scared of. Prince Escalus represent is responsible for everything that happens; he is like a boss or leader to everyone. He is protecting, and making sure everyone is safe when he is around. Shakespeare needs this character to be able to change the mood of the play. In the Elizabethan era everyone enjoyed the fight in the play, because it was difficult to see them on the street. Fights were improving everyone’s humor, so Shakespeare had needed a character to stop the fight, and make the audience react differently. The audience could be very angry about stopping something that they had enjoyed. The upper classes may be happy because the violence has stopped, and is not giving anyone such a bad example. The groundling will be upset, because they are not used to see fight with upper class people. The prince speech used language to create a change of mood, `Purple foundations issuing my veins. ` In this quotation the Prince had used a metaphor, he is trying to compare our veins to foundations, because the blood would never stop going around our body. He is trying to tell everyone that, the anger should stay inside of us, like the blood in veins; Prince is also trying to say that the fight is unneeded. This gives us impression that the Prince is treating everyone equal, he never keeps anyone’s side. This language contributes to making Act 1, Scene 1 a dramatic and effective opening, because Prince is changing the mood, he also shows everyone his opinion about fighting.

The introduction of Romeo to the opening scene is interesting because we get to learn more about his character before he even appears on stage. From Benvolio and Lord Montague we learn that Romeo is fed up, sad and unhappy. This can make the audience feel curious or annoyed because the main character, start form being very negative about life, while he is rich and can get anything he want. Romeo’s conversation with his cousin reveals a lot about his character and grabs the audience’s attention. ` Why the, O brawling love, O loving hate` Romeo is talking about love difficulty, why does it have to be so painful. Romeo had used oxymoron’s, `loving hate` those two words are opposite of each other, by using language like that he shows the audience that he is very confused about his life. The audience alternatively might think that Romeo is too young to know anything about love problems, and that he is not able to show his emotions. Normally 15 years old boy should have a positive character, and minds full of having fun.

Shakespeare adds more elements of drama to the first scene, when Benvolio tells Romeo that he should have another look for good-looking girls. `By giving liberty into thine eyes, examine other beauties. ` This could be exacting because Romeo could have an argument with him, about what love really is, and it not about only being beauty. Benvolio had sounded like, he never would understand love, and all he thinks about is girls’ beauty, not what she has to offers, inside her. He is not trying to understand Romeo feeling, he is telling him, to try to find someone else, and forget about the other girl.

In my conclusion, Act 1 Scene 1 is very exciting and dramatic, it makes the audience want to see more, it also explains the whole play action. Shakespeare successfully had used the first scene to introduce the themes of the play, love, argument, tragedy. Shakespeare also had good introducing of characters, such as Romeo and enemies, Shakespeare engages with a range of audience members, through language, action, humor and romance, for example females would be excited when they will be seeing romance, whereas males would be very excited watching fights. In my opinion the play is great for young people, because it explains how much love can be painful and the confusion about it, like Romeo had with Rosaline. The most dramatic and exciting scene was when Romeo was talking with Benvolio, about Rosaline. I thought that he might even kill himself, Benvolio was replaying in humor way, he really didn’t understand what Romeo was saying, Romeo was very negative character, what made everything very dramatic, because nobody could think of what goes around 15 years old boy minds. He could think of death, or of ways to die. Form first scene you get the understanding, about the whole play, it tells you everything step by step.

Angelika Zadranowicz