After the Prince’s decree, the mood calms and changes from unbridled fury to one of concern from Lord Montague over the whereabouts of his son. When Romeo first enters we get a hint of how Shakespeare breaks the tension created before hand with something more lighthearted. In this case Romeos unrequited lust after Rosaline.
Scene two further sets a differing mood when we see Lord Capulet portrayed as a loving father in his reluctance to force Juliet into marriage with Paris.
Scene three begins to incline into more sinister things with Romeos dream prediction of foreboding (“I fear too early; for my mind misgives/Some consequences yet hanging in the stars/Shall bitterly begin his fearful date/With…untimely death”). This is the initial part of the dramatic irony that runs so constantly in the play. It is ironic as his prediction of “untimely death” is so true and as it was stated in the prologue the audience would be more intrigued, constantly waiting for the moment when the “untimely death” happens.
Scene five once again shatters the tension made with people dancing and singing and generally enjoying the party. This fun is however short lived as Tybalt overhears Romeo and lowers the tone by ordering for his sword (“Fetch me my rapier, boy”). This shows the tension between families, as Tybalt is willing to ruin his uncle’s party just to fight one Montague. An odd thing happens next as Lord Capulet tells Tybalt to calm down and let him enjoy the party. He even pays Romeo a compliment saying he is a “portly gentleman”. This portrays Tybalt’s actions as childish and rash and lures the audience into a sense of false impression by making them think there is not as much bad blood as was initially thought although this could not be further from the truth. More dramatic irony is shown after Romeo and Juliet first meet in Juliet’s over the top albeit chillingly accurate comment of “my grave is to be my wedding bed”.
Act two, Scene two is where we next get a sense of violence and foreboding when Romeo states that his “life were better ended by their hate/Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love”. His immature comment about his ‘true love’ for Juliet is riddled with hints of just how much anger there is between the families and how he would be killed if people knew how he felt for one of the ‘enemy’.
In scene four, Tybalt sends a letter addressed to Romeo requesting a conflict. Upon news of this Romeo and Mercutio embark on a playful war of wit and words with Romeo emerging victor against the razor sharp Mercutio because of his high spirits over his love for Juliet. However this glee doesn’t last and his good frame of mind is dampened by Tybalt once again bringing the feud back into the frame.
Scene five contains very little in the way of death or violence but it has the intriguing quote from Juliet “but old folks, many feign as they were dead”. This is once again dramatic irony rearing its head as the ‘feigning of death’ is what causes the confusion which leads to the ‘two star crossed’ lovers deaths.
The same can be said along the lines of quantity of death and violence for scene six however Friar Laurence’s warning of “violent delights have violent ends” is plagued with foreboding of how their love for each other is just asking for trouble.
Act three, Scene ones main basis is conflict, rage and violence. With Romeos decline of Tybalt’s invitation to fight, Mercutio leaps at the chance to defend his friend Romeo and after a barrage of verbal insults from either side swords are drawn and Mercutio ends up mortally wounded. With his dying breath he says “a plague o’ both your houses”. This shows how the stupidity of the family quarrel is only made obvious upon death. With word of Mercutio’s death reaching Romeo, he seeks revenge and upon hunting down Tybalt his aggression spills over and Tybalt is slain. Romeo flees before the Prince arrives with fear of execution in his mind. When the Prince finally turns up on the scene a definite sense of status is shown with the Prince being respected by all. Declaration is given of Romeo being exiled from Verona.
Whilst this is happening, Juliet is nervously waiting for news of Romeo from the Nurse and when the news of Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s exile reaches her she is faced with a predicament. Does she side with her love or her family? She begins to see things in a new light after denouncing, and then restating her love for Romeo.
Scene three shows Romeo as hysterical and suicidal and once again death is prevalent. “hadst thou no poison mix’d, no sharp-ground knife” shows his desperateness but he is soon calmed by Friar Laurence’s age and wisdom and Romeo regains some composure.
Scene 4 shows Lord Capulets callousness during this time of mourning as he changes his initial thoughts and arranges a marriage for Juliet. The irony of this being, that at that moment both Juliet and Romeo were together consummating their illicit marriage after they eloped. When news of the arrangement is broken to Juliet and she is naturally opposed, Capulet believes this as a personal insult to him and he gives her an ultimatum: marry Paris, or leave. The way he delivers this is particularly aggressive, with him personally insulting his only child “you tallow face! /Hang thee baggage! /Disobedient wretch!”. As the nurse tries to console the distraught Juliet she is quite frank about what she says. “for it excels your first; or if did not/Your first is dead-or ‘twere as good as he were/And leaving here and you no use of him”. Juliet finds this horrifying that her closest friend is insinuating that she leave Romeo, her true love, as he is never coming back to Verona. Distressed, she leaves to see Friar Laurence where a plan is hatched.
In act 4, Romeo is in Mantua awaiting news from the Friar whilst Juliet is with Laurence discussing the marriage conundrum. He says she can take a potion that will give her the symptoms for death for “two and forty hours”. This references back to act two, scene four and although the plan appears watertight to the two of them, it has a sense of foreboding looming over it.
Scene three shows Juliet in a state of distress before the potion is taken and her line “farewell! God knows when we shall meet again” is very meaningful as it has more truth than she believes as in they would never again both lay eyes on each other until they actually died.
The play progresses further to the point where Romeo receives word that Juliet has died and been moved to her family crypt. Because Romeo doesn’t know Juliet’s plan he is distraught. This is an example of how the death and violence goes further than it being in its physical form and show how it has affected Romeo emotionally.
The plays climax is wrought with tension because of the air of Juliet’s “death” hanging over everyone.
Romeo travels to the Capulet crypt to see Juliet one last time, purchasing a vile of poison along the way. This confirms with the audience that that wasn’t the last of the death.
Upon entering the tomb he confronts Paris, who he quickly disposes of. The audience can tell just how relevant them being in a crypt together is when Romeo drinks the poison gazing on the “dead” Juliet. Just after that happens Juliet awakens from her slumber to see a dead Romeo by her side and, knowing that she cant live without him plunges his dagger into her chest. The relevance being that two people in a crypt are almost destined to stay there together, forever. Although extreme this was exactly what both Romeo and Juliet wanted. Shakespeare is brilliant in that for every light hearted scene, he used tension or death and violence to lower the tone slightly and keep people interested.
Death and violence was portrayed excellently throughout Romeo and Juliet but I feel the last scene was the strongest. It was portrayed not as it appears, but as a sentiment between two lovers that, whilst being sad, also helps to break down all the rest of this issues in the play by showing that after all the problems between families, Romeo and Juliet are now perfectly peaceful
