his maids to the wall.”
The language is violent, and engages the audience. “Draw thy sword,
here comes of the house of Montague’s“. It creates suspense, as we know a fight is about to occur. The servants have swords by their waist. The stage directions indicate that the Montague servants appear and this builds tension. The Capulet’s servants jump and panic. Which adds anxiety, however makes the audience laugh at how stupid the Capulet’s servants are. They decide to bite their thumb. At those days biting your thumb was a grave insult.
This scene it shows us how much the Montague’s and the Caplet’s
are enemies, because the servants from both families are even fighting.
Tybalt enters and immediately seems like a hot tempered person.
“What drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word/As I hate hells all Montague’s and thee”. The audience don’t really like him now because the language he uses is aggressive and assertive! “What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?”
A serious fight breaks out and the audience is engaged even more.
The prince enters and is angry and makes a new rule about fighting in the streets. The prince speaks in rhyming couplets. “hands, ground…case, place” This is to show you where superior, well educated and clever.
“If you ever disturb our streets again/Your lives shall pay the
forfeit of the peace”. This reminds the audience that when Romeo and Juliet fall in love, their would be a tragic ending because they will fall in love which will cause problems, this hooks the audience as we know that the two families are enemies.
Therefore violence that is used in this scene is very effective,
because it sets the plot for later in the play. Since Romeo and Juliet will fall in love at the party, this is were Tybalt notices him at his party and challenges him to a duel however now the prince made his new rule.
Also in this scene is where Romeo first enters. We feel sorry for
him because he is so depressed after being rejected from Roseline. We now think he is a lovely caring and sweet person and this helps for what we feel for him later in the play. “Alas that Love, whose view is muffled still, Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will”. This sets violence for later in the play because now he is heartbroken, and in-between Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 1 Scene 5 Mercutio cheers him up by taking him to the enemies party. If Romeo was not heartbroken along with sad then Romeo would not have gone to that party.
Now I will study Act 1 Scene 5, which is a party scene. In the scene Tybalt ruins the magical scene of music, dancing and romance which is created by the language.
“ Ladies that have their toes/Unplagu’d with corns will walk a bout
with you”.
We are now sacred for Romeo as Tybalt has spotted him, we are
scared for Romeo in later in the plot because he is in danger but we want to see Romeo‘s and Juliet’s relationship go further. There love is so beautiful, as in the Elizabethan days love at first sight was real and special. We now hate Tybalt for destroying the happy scene and we are frightened for Romeo because we like him, we love his character. He is a hopeless romantic. We are now caught up, with the wonderful relationship. Tybalt uses brutal language. “ I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall,/Now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall.” The audience now know Tybalt has challenged Romeo to a duel, the violent language sets violence for later in the story and now the audience wants to know what will happen next. Shakespeare builds suspense and tension because we are now expecting Romeo and Tybalt to fight, and we are scared especially in the next scene.
On the meeting Juliet, Romeo decides he has to see Juliet and so
goes to visit her after the party in Caplets orchard. In act 2 Scene 1,2 is the balcony scene. We are so worried here but at suspense. Reason is Romeo is risking his life as he is at his enemies house and if he is found he will get killed thereby threatening their relationship. “If they see thee, they will murder thee. We are reminded that they die at the end but we don’t want them to. We feel scared and this creates suspense. They then decide to get married. “Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow…”. This sets the plot for later in the play, as now trouble is set because if a Capulet or a Montague finds out their would be violence. Yet we are happy for them.
In Act 2 Scene 3 the plot is affected because Romeo has married
to Juliet, however, we know Tybalt has challenged Romeo to a duel. Now Romeo will not fight, and so he will lose his honour as a man. Romeo cannot fight Tybalt because he is family now. We the audience are frightened for Romeo and it creates tension for later in the plot. For the reason that Mecrutio dies in the play, since he fights Tybalt instead. Act 3 Scene 1 is linked to Act 1 Scene 1, because the setting of the scene is “Public Place”. Already we know about the princes ruling that their should be no fighting in the streets, this allows for Romeo’s Banishment for later in the play. This builds tension. This is also follows on from the party scene.
Suspense is created as Benviolio sets the scene for fighting. “ The
day is hot, the capels are abroad, And if we meet we shall not escape a brawl.” He has told us that they can lose their temper quickly and the chance of a quarrel, this engages the audience. Mecrutio teases Benvolio. “ Thou hast quarrelled with a man for coughing in the street, because he hath wakened thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun”. It makes the audience laugh however teasing someone makes him quite angry.
Tybalt enters, he is looking for Romeo insulting him, this builds
pressure. Mecrutio is taunting Tybalt, he is trying to get Tybalt to fight. We are so tense, “And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something, make it a word and a blow.” Romeo enters, “’Alla stoccata’ carries it away.” Tybalt talks in a fighting tone to Romeo. We are at the edge of our seats. Romeo tries to not fight, this builds up more tension. We are more scared for Romeo, we are reminded in the scene about the prince’s ruling.” Tybalt, Mecrutio, the prince expressly hath/Forbid this bandying in Verona“.
There is physical violence which moves the play forward. The
violence puts the audience on edge, the audience finds the scene more engaging and exciting, particularly the men who found it entertaining. Mecrutio then gets pierced by Tybalt and his sword. We are shocked, and we would like to know what will happen next.
Mecrutio he is angry and consequently puts a plague upon their
house. “A plague a’ both houses!” Mecrutio says to this three times. Compared to the story Macbeth, the three witches would say phrases three times so that they can place a curse, which worked. Violence then sets the plot for later in the play, because later in the play it looks like the curse worked.
Unfortunately Mecrutio dies. This sets the plot for later in the
play. Still he then does fight. Romeo gets angry and decides to kill Tybalt, this affects the plot because of the ruling. This makes us more excited us there is a second fight.
Romeo luckily only gets banned from Verona. ” Immediately we do
exile him hence“. The violence makes Romeo banished and so Romeo and Juliet cannot be with together. This is alright for the audience, because we like Romeo and we don‘t want him to be killed. In addition Shakespeare wanted us to take Romeo’s side instead of Tybalt’s so that we accept Romeo’s banishment, if it had been Tybalt we would have been angry.
In between the Act 3 Scene 1 and Act 5 Scene 3, Juliet pretends
that she is dead by drinking a potion. However Romeo does not get the note to say she is alive.
At the end of the story Act 5 Scene 3, it is a sad and dramatic scene. It is linked to Act 3 Scene 1 because Juliet pretends to Romeo enters to a murky tomb.
The atmosphere is cheerless and frightening. Romeo’s suicide is not
good for the audience we do not want Romeo to die as we know Juliet is still alive. Shakespeare was clever to help us fall in like with the character, Romeo. We know Juliet is alive and we fear the worst, it put as on unease and on the edge. The stage direction ’Romeo falls and dies’. We the audience are in horrified and we felt sad even though we knew from the beginning Romeo and Juliet would die! At the end we feel that it was a capturing story, and that violence is not the answer as it will lead to a sad ending.
Violence has made the audience watch the whole play, as we kept wanting to know what will happen next. The use of language created the suspense and sense of danger, stage directions, setting and entering of characters has drawn the play through. There was great engagement, tension and violence in certain scenes, from the next tragedy, leading to the end! And mostly each scene was important as it set the next scene. The violence has excited us, made us love and hate particular characters, Tybalt. Shakespeare has used violence well in a love story. I thought Shakespeare was very clever the way he made violence important. Without the violence in the play, the play wouldn’t be exciting, tension would not be built and the audience will find the play boring especially men.
