Initial thoughts of the first two acts in Romeo and Juliet.

Romeo & Juliet Coursework

Stu Nash

My initial thoughts of the first two acts in Romeo and Juliet are filled with hope. Despite the initial Act 1 Scene 1 fight, (which the reader is led to expect due to prologue lines ‘from ancient grudge break new mutiny’). When I personally read Act 1 Scene 1, I believed that this was the fight the prologue was talking about.

From then on a reader could be mistaken for thinking Romeo and Juliet is the tale of a young, handsome, love struck young man. Possibly in love with Rosaline, but Juliet is in love with him? We can then start to guess this story will be a battle of two men for the love of Juliet. This may be the case when we are first introduced at the Capulet’s ball to Paris as the young man wanting Lord Capulet to give Juliet’s hand in marriage as well as her children, ‘…what say you to my suit?…younger than she are happy mothers made’.

Romeo and Juliet first seeing each other (1:5) is portrayed in many different ways, for instance. In Baz Luhrmann’s modern interpretation, they first see each other through a fish tank. However the first meeting is portrayed, they all share one common theme, love at first sight.

It could be thought that Romeo, on their first meeting is possibly keener than Juliet. This would be due to Romeo’s willingness and ambition to kiss Juliet, ‘…to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss’, which is more than Juliet’s subdued willingness to kiss Romeo, ‘…you do wrong your hand too much…for saints have hands that pilgrims do touch’ (this is Juliet playing with Romeo, saying that she is a saint and he is but a pilgrim). When they do finally kiss in line 106 the audience instantly know they are in love by Juliet’s reaction to the kiss, ‘then have my lips the sin that they have took’. This is Juliet asking Romeo for another kiss which he gives to her.

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Later in this scene, Juliet is told by the nurse that, ‘His name is Romeo, and a Montague’. This is a huge moment of tension in the play. The audience are asking themselves ‘what is Juliet going to do?’ Juliet is faced with the dilemma of Love versus Hate. One particular line in Act 2 Scene 2 can give the audience immediate cause for hope. ‘What’s in a name?’ Juliet says. This is saying that it is only a word that is coming between their love, this convinces Juliet that they are in love. After a few other small moments of tension, mostly involving Paris’ love for Juliet, Romeo and Juliet marry at the end of Act 2. This act would leave the audience with a huge sense of relief and happiness as there now is every reason to think the play will end ‘happily ever after’. This view will inevitably change during the course of Act 3 scene 1.

Act 3 scene 1 is a major fight scene and an extremely important moment of the play. Tybalt (Juliet’s cousin) kills Mercutio (Romeo’s closest friend). The fight is a major turning point in the play, the death, pain and mutiny in this scene destroys the audiences ‘happy ever after’ hopes.

The scene begins with Benvolio immediately pleading to Mercutio that they should leave before there is any trouble, ‘I pray thee…let’s retire’. Benvolio is sure that if they were to meet the Capulets, a fight would be inevitable, ‘…if we meet we shall not scape a brawl’. Benvolio’s opening speech is written in blank verse (open ended poetry with no patterns). This is contradictive of Mercutio’s teasing. It shows Benvolio trying to take control of the situation and leading the conversation by sounding more sophisticated than Mercutio.

Act 3 scene 1, up to line 28, are just Mercutio and Benvolio arguing. Mercutio is teasing Benvolio by saying how boisterous and quarrelsome Benvolio is, ‘thy head is full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat’. This is extremely ironic as it is in the end Mercutio who quarrels and fights, and ends up dead.

Benvolio’s last words to Mercutio before Tybalt’s arrival are in lines 27-28. ‘And I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man should buy the fee-simple of my life for an hour and a quarter’. This ominously forecasts Mercutio’s death and the irony is further enhanced by Tybalt’s appearance in two lines. The arrival of Tybalt will immediately bring the audience to the edge of their seats. Benvolio has just forecast Mercutio’s death in an hour and a quarter.

Tybalt seems to be quite calm with his first lines ‘…gentlemen…a word with one of you’. The irony of Mercutio’s teasing of Benvolio is now shown when Mercutio says, ‘…couple it with something…a word and a blow’. In those lines he has straight away picked a fight with Tybalt, which Tybalt feels obliged to accept. This makes the audience feel even more that Benvolio’s prediction is correct and are almost certain who the victor of the fight will be.

As Tybalt becomes angrier, he angrily condemns Mercutio for associating with Romeo, ‘Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo’. Within a few lines Romeo arrives not knowing of the fight. The audience reaction to this would go something like ‘get out of there Romeo’ as they know Tybalt is still angry with Romeo for coming to the party.

‘Peace be with you sir, here comes my man’, Tybalt says this after seeing Romeo. He is saying to Mercutio that he no longer wants to fight him but wants to fight Romeo instead adding to Mercutio’s rage.

Romeo pleads to Tybalt not to fight and to the audiences shock, begins to explain why he must love the name of the Capulets for the sake of Juliet’s and his marriage which at this moment in time Tybalt does not know of. Romeo says these lines in blank verse to once again gain the upper hand in the conversation. He explains that although he still hates the Capulet name, he must now learn to love it, ‘…I have to love thee…excuse my appertaining rage ’

Love & Hate?

Tybalt and Mercutio fight, and, to the audiences prediction Mercutio dies. ‘A plague a’both your houses’ is the hateful line Mercutio uses as he dies. It is casting both the house of Montague and the house of Capulet to death. It is then through Romeo’s love for Mercutio and hate for Tybalt that he chooses to kill Tybalt.

The theme of love and hate is continued throughout the remainder of the play. Romeo and Juliet are still in love throughout Romeo’s exile from Verona. They die in eachothers arms as the prologue suggests, ‘A pair of star-crossed lovers’.

‘Romeo and Juliet’ has a main theme of Love and Hate and also Love overcoming Hate. Act 3 scene 1 is a good example of this. The love for their own family has lead to hate between the two families. Also the uncontrollable love between two people caused mutiny, hate and death.