In Act One Scene One tension is built successfully from the language used.
‘Do you bite your thumb at us sir?’
Abraham and Sampson exchange this phrase repeatedly using short sentences. It builds tension effectively because one can imagine that these words would be exchanged between two characters rapidly growing in speed and volume in a concise verbal exchange. Also the stagecraft used to move the characters around to become aggressive was effectual. This would suggest to the audience that a fight is going to erupt therefore building tension.
Conclusively, Shakespeare builds tension through the Prince’s speech.
‘Your lives will pay the forfeit of the peace.’
If there is one more brawl, the Capulets and Montagues are told that the people involved will be killed. This continues the theme of death which is initiated in the prologue. To the reader it implies that someone may die due to this argument between the two families. The theme of death itself builds tension, but it is developed furthermore as the audience wonders how Rome and Juliet will fit into this quarrel and whether it has anything to do with their downfall.
Subsequently, Shakespeare further builds tension prior to the party, where Romeo foresees his own death.
‘And these who often drowned, could never die,’
This demonstrates that Romeo is vastly love sick at this moment in the play and he believes that he will never love anyone again but Rosaline. This leads to him forecasting his own death. With Romeo thinking about death, it allows the audience to recognise that Romeo’s destiny is death and so dramatic irony is constructed. Evidently, Romeo as a character doesn’t know that he is going to die, but the audience do and so further tension is built. Shakespeare uses the concept of fate to assemble apprehension through the audience. The audience believe that Romeo would be punished for challenging fate or the stars. Religion also comes into this as the audience believed that the stars controlled people’s destinies and the play describes the web of fate in which Romeo and Juliet become entangled.
Shakespeare profitably composes more tension with Ben Volio playing an immense part in persuading Romeo to go to the party.
‘Your lady’s love against some other maid, that I will show you shining at this feast.’
With Ben Volio revealing to Romeo that there are more girls out there, this creates tension within the audience because they realize that Romeo is about to meet Juliet and wonder how the lovers will meet their downfall.
Shakespeare also uses phrases to set the scene in play. For example in the balcony scene he sets the outlook by stating it’s morning in his speech because they couldn’t show it properly in those days. This scene also creates tension as the guards could have easily caught Romeo trespassing.
Shakespeare builds tension at the wedding with the Friar’s warning.
‘These violent delights have violent ends.’
This confirms that the friar realizes that fate is against both Romeo and Juliet and so he alerts them of a tragic ending. Furthermore with the Friar talking about death, this creates additional dramatic irony because the audience know that the marriage cannot last. The Friar perceives that there is something sinful about the marriage because he is marrying two lovers, which means he is uniting two families who have had bitterness for each other for generations. This creates more tension as the audience wonder how this will affect both of the lovers’ deaths.
Also the use of the oxymoron ‘Violent Delights’ creates juxtaposition for the audience on the one hand because they are happy about the marriage, but at the same time they feel sorrow as they know it won’t last.
Another tension point is the scene where Tybalt and Mercutio end up tussling with each other.
‘Tybalt you rat catcher, will you walk?’
This clash is cunningly unlike the others so far because it is between Tybalt and surprisingly Mercutio who is impartial to both the Capulet and Montague households. However even more essential than that is the fact that Mercutio is the nephew of the Prince. This builds tension because the audience speculate what the conclusion of the fight will be and how it will relate to Romeo.
Furthermore, tension is built as Mercutio is dramatically killed. Romeo almost becomes the opposite of what he is known to be. He develops into something full of hatred and vengeance, and in the wake of Mercutio’s death he kills Tybalt and falls from grace.
‘I am fortune’s fool!’
Fate has finally caught up with Romeo and he has brought one of the ingredients of a tragic hero to the play, by being banished.
As well as this, further tension is built in the scene where Friar Lawrence conjures up the plan. ‘Hold daughter, I do spy a kind of hope.’
The Friar gives Juliet a poison which will cause her to sleep for 42 hours, making her seem dead. Once, she is put in her tomb then she will wake up to Romeo.
At this moment in the play the audience will have begun to get worried about the characters of both Romeo and Juliet, because up to now the audience have intensified their anxiety throughout the play. The emotions of the audience begin to build in tension as they want the plan to succeed, but wonder whether this is the beginning of the lovers’ downfall. As well as this, the audience would have thought unhappily of the Friar as he is the most religious person in the play and so for him to conjure up a plan to do with death would have lead to shock within the audience.
Following the plan, Capulet plans an arranged marriage for Juliet with the County Paris and is told to go through with it. Initially, she is disobedient towards Capulet for orchestrating the marriage and the two fall out as Capulet feels that Juliet has disrespected him. In those times rich families would have wanted to arrange marriages with other wealthy families and it wouldn’t have been up to the women.
This would also have brought disbelief among the audience as Juliet was already married and that would have been seen as a crime in Shakespearian times as they were catholic and women were second class citizens.
More tension is built through the language.
‘No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest.’
One can presume that these words would be exchanged between the two characters (Friar and Juliet) very slowly and sensitively building masses of tension among the audience because if the plan was to go wrong then that would be the end of Romeo and Juliet. Also the tension is built through the audience gravely wondering in the back of their minds what would occur if Romeo wasn’t to find out what the plan was.
Furthermore, tension is built when Romeo misses the letter; as the audience know that without it, Romeo could go on to discover that Juliet is falsely dead. To their dismay the audience go on to find that this does happen and causes both Romeo and the County Paris to collide in the tomb where Juliet is laid. This then creates tension as Romeo goes on to slay Paris and rest by Juliet’s side. With the poison in one hand Romeo builds plenty of tension among the audience as they want to tell Romeo the truth, but cannot and so the vast dramatic irony is created as Romeo fatally drinks the poison while Juliet wakes from her sleep.
Finally, the play has journied to its climax, the lover’ deaths.
‘As rich shall Romeo’s by his lady’s lie, pour sacrifices of our enmity.’
All the tension is now departed because the tragedy is finally fulfilled. All the betrayal, power and murder has been fulfilled and the two families finally realize the consequence of their enmity, causing them to ultimately unite after generations of having an ancient grudge. The two families realize this as Capulet talks about them being victims of the grudge.
‘Poor sacrifices of our enmity.’
‘O brother Montague, give me thy hand.’
Shakespeare comments on society by stating that both families formulate peace with each other. Shakespeare doesn’t craft a specific moral; rather he portrays the passion of being in love, violence, death, religion and family conflicts leading to the play’s tragic conclusion.
Shakespeare used a lot of imagery in Romeo and Juliet. For example in the balcony scene, to set the scene the actor would have to inform the audience of the time of day through speech. They would have had to perform the scene during the day because they had no electricity to perform shows at night.
Shakespeare was very successful when building tension in the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ because audiences would have received it openly letting it drag them into the play along with the characters so that by the end of the play the audience would have been emotionally involved. Shakespeare used many smart literacy techniques in the play, such as dramatic irony and oxymorons.
This is supposed to be the greatest love story ever written and so it is, as even though the audience know that both the lovers are going to die, Shakespeare still manages to shock the audience with the method and way they both end up dying. The audience would have been emotionally sad and angry about Romeo and Juliet’s suicide because in those days it would have been a mortal sin. It would have been a mortal sin because in those days most people were either Catholic or Protestant and both would have been against suicide. Overall, Shakespeare is very victorious in creating tension in the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
