It is during this scene that Romeo first notices Juliet and her beauty Romeo refers to Juliet using rhyming couplets “what lady is that, which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight?” This means that she is so pure that she makes that person’s hand pure, and being pure, she must be innocent and young. In rhyming couplets he goes on to describe how she is so bright and attractive that she taught the torches how to burn “O she doth teach the torches to burn bright”. Romeo uses the hyperbole to express his love at first sight of Juliet and how radiant she is. He uses this to express his affection for Juliet and completely forgets Rosaline. You can tell that this love is real from Romeo as he doesn’t use this emotive language since his rejection from Rosaline.
He also mentions that she is like “a jewel in Ethiope's ear” implying that she exotic and beautiful looking comparing her to a jewel as well as that she is ‘a snowy dove trooping with crows’ meaning that she is a beautiful and holy dove whilst all the other ladies were unattractive and unholy. This is also when he rethinks his love for Rosaline he asks himself ‘did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!’, he realises it was lust, not true love as with Juliet ‘For I never saw true beauty till this night’.
This part of the scene is very dramatically effective because it emphasises how much Romeo loves her and true love contrasts directly with his lust for Rosalyn. The description using rhyming couplets and powerful metaphors delivers this message clearly to the audience who can feel his passion.
Just after Romeo speaks to Juliet he is heard by Tybalt, who is a young and fiery Capulet. Due to his aggressive and unruly character he takes offence at Romeo being there and asks for his sword ‘Fetch me my rapier, boy’. He takes offence because he believes that Romeo is here to ruin the party and ‘to fleer and scorn at our solemnity’ meaning mock the Capulets. Before he gets to Romeo though he is stopped by Capulet who quickly gets angry that Tybalt is so disobedient ‘go to, go to’. Tybalt promises he will take revenge for Romeo being at the party ‘now seeming sweet convert to bitter gall’. This is dramatically effective because it directly contrasts to the preceding speech of love by Romeo. It is also builds atmosphere of tension because the audience do not know if Tybalt will be able to kill Romeo.
When Romeo speaks to Juliet for the second time, he takes on the metaphor of him being a pilgrim ‘this holy shrine’, Juliet pretends to not be interested but Romeo tries again ‘have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?’ but Romeo persuades her to kiss him using the metaphor of a pilgrim and her as the shrine. Using this terminology highlights that this is true and pure love and also the metaphor reflects that Romeo worships Juliet, as if she is the only shrine and the most important thing on Earth to him.
Juliet finally succumbs and comments that Romeo ‘kisses by the book’ implying that his kiss is good. He also manages to get a second kiss by telling Juliet ‘give me my sin again’. This part of the play is full of rhyme such as ‘despair’ and ‘prayer’ to emphasise the affection between the two lovers to the audience. Shakespeare makes the atmosphere extremely romantic the climax being the kiss and then they find out the calamity of their relationship.
At the end of the scene the nurse enters and informs Juliet that ‘your mother craves a word with you’. Romeo then enquires who is Juliet’s mother and finds out that she is a Capulet; Romeo subsequently leaves with his friend Benvolio. As they are leaving, Juliet she asks the nurse who Romeo is and if he is married ‘go ask his name if he be married my grave is like to be my wedding bed’. The nurse’s reply ‘his name is Romeo, and a Montague the only son of your great enemy’. Now Juliet realises that ‘my only love sprung from my only hate’. Both individuals are now worried and anxious that they may never again be together. This is a perfect way to end the scene because it keeps the audience guessing as to how they are going to get around this obstacle to their true love. This ending is very modern and still used in plays and has a huge influence on the rest of the play.
Apart from Act I scene 1 (fight in the market place) most of act I takes place in a light-hearted manner. For example, Lord Capulet and Count Paris discussing Paris’ requests to marry Juliet and Romeo talking to Benvolio about why Rosaline does not love him so when Act I scene 5 shows some tension from near the beginning the audience senses this danger and dramatically effectiveness and realizes from the Prologue that this is where the play really kicks into gear and a series of unfortunate events takes place. On the whole scene is an effective climax creating dramatic tension for what happens later in the play.
