Our initial response to Romeo’s character is that his language is very elaborate and exaggerated and his use of oxymorons shows this in a great way. For example in Act 1, Scene 1, lines 167-173 where he says,
“O brawling love, O loving hate,
O anything of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still waking sleep, that is not what it is!”
This use of oxymorons, which was greatly popular in Shakespeare’s time was generally used in love poetry and this emphasises Romeo’s love from Rosaline. Romeo is being subconsciously clever here. Also since the play is about the clash of opposites, his use of oxymorons does not seem out of place. However the audience feel that he is not really in love and he is just acting that he is in love. On the other hand, we still feel sympathy for Romeo because although Romeo’s family members do sympathise with him but are not aware of the full story that the audience are aware of.
Romeo and Juliet first meet in Act 1 Scene 5. Romeo uses religious imagery throughout his conversation with Juliet and it really does seem that he is in love because he speaks more seriously about it and as we see further in the play he ready to lay his life for this love. After realising that they belong to families who are deadly enemies of each other they are dismayed but this in no way can stop their love for each other. This creates sympathy in the minds of the audience as well.
The illustration of the intensity of Romeo and Juliet’s love is shown in Act 2 Scene 2. We find that this is different from the artificial “courtly love” played out by Romeo for Rosaline earlier in the play). This is the scene in which Juliet proposes the marriage. This was very unusual because back in Shakespeare’s day it was very unusual for a woman to do the proposing. The marriages then were decided by the parents and were based on suitability rather than love. On a similar note, it is unusual today for a teenager of 13 to get married at all. This scene is generally known as the Balcony scene, however there is no actual mention of a balcony anywhere in the scene.
Juliet is a very naïve young girl; after all she is only thirteen years old. Her mother is persuading her into marriage however she does not agree at first but then gives in, but only because wherever she speaks she is being ambiguous; so the audience knows what she is saying however the characters are unaware. This develops a sense of sympathy for us as well because we know that she is married to Romeo as well as being betrothed to County Paris. She loves Romeo and no one else. However the characters do not see this and the Capulets would strictly disallow such a marriage as would the Montagues. “Extreme force causes rebellion” as a saying goes.
The opening of Act 3 Scene 5 is when Juliet says goodbye to Romeo and then cries when he leaves. Lady Capulet and Capulet think that she is crying because Tybalt (her cousin) has died, but they are wrong because of her ambiguous talk the audience understand but the characters do not. One of the most interesting statements of Juliet is
“Indeed I never shall be satisfied
With Romeo, till I behold him – dead –
Is my poor heart, so for a kinsman vexed”
(lines 93-95)
In this statement, Lady Capulet thinks that Juliet means that she wants to see Romeo dead because he killed Tybalt but she really means that her heart is dead because Romeo has left her.
There are many other aspects of this scene that we can consider.
There is an absolute contrast between Act 4 Scene 3 and the ‘balcony’ scene (Act 2 Scene 2). The latter scene was fully of images of light and hope, however the former contains horrifying thoughts, darkness and despair. The language is no longer poetic but full of fear. Juliet’s fear is made apparent through the punctuation and structure of her speech.
The significance of this scene is that Juliet does not know what the potion contains. She asks many questions to enquire. It is quite ironic that she imagines various outcomes but not what actually happens.
This scene also shows the extent of Juliet’s love for Romeo because despite her terror, she still takes the potion; She would rather be dead than live without Romeo or be forced to marry someone else.
Shakespeare uses various techniques to intensify the dramatic nature of Juliet’s speech, for example, when Juliet is at last alone in her chamber she says, “I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins…” The alliteration of the “f” sound here creates a shivery sensation – we can sense Juliet’s horror at what she is about to do.
In this way, Shakespeare using language, dramatic devices and the structure of the play to help the audience feel sympathy for Romeo and Juliet through the development of the play.
Zafar Abbas Naquvi
10En1
English Coursework
1129 words
