Romeo and Juliet is different to all of Shakespeare's plays because, unusually for the time, the prologue is a short synopsis of what is intended to happen before the play begins. This, therefore, impacts massively on the audience as they now know what to expect so the whole play is anticipated. Also, in a sense, the audience foresee our young lovers' fate. As the audience have prior knowledge of events they read or listen closely to the dialogue.
The opening of the play has an immediate impact upon the audience as within thirty lines we are in the middle of violent action in the shape of a renewed episode of the long standing feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. The servants are involved as much as their masters. Sampson, a Capulet is boasting over their superiority over the Montagues. Their discussion is interupted when two Montague servants enter.
In the ays of this play biting ones thumb, directed to another person, was considered as an insult to the other person. Sampson bites his thumb. Abraham - 'Do you bite your thumb at us, Sir?'
Sampson - 'I do bite my thumb, Sir?'
At once Sampson draws his sword in preparation to a fight.
After the brief but violent fight between the Capulets and Montagues and with the townspeople of Verona joining in and chanting 'down with the Montagues down With the Capulets' we know that they have had enough. Prince Escalus arrives to stop the quarreling. He represents the law in Verona and issues an ultimatum. 'If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace'. This meant if ever there should be an outbreak of violence between the Capulets and Montagues again, they shall be killed. This first scene give the audience its first impression of the magnitude of hatred between the households, that even indirect members despise one another.
When Prince Escalus warns the households of what is to come if they start any more violence, the audience expects Romeo to be killed when he kills Tybalt in vengeance of Mercutio, however Prince Escalus instead of killing Romeo banishes him from Verona. With this the audience are relieved and they cling to the hope that he might maybe, survive after all.
With the fortunate news that Romeo shall not be executed for killing Tybalt the audience might be hoping that there shall be a happy ending after all and peace might be achieved.
From the first few paragraphs of Juliet and her nurse being together we learn that Juliet has a closer relationship with her nanny than with her mother. This is because the nanny treats her as her own as she once lost a child, and so acts like a foster parent. She is also a far nicer person in general.
The nurse becomes messenger for Romeo and Juliet, passing on messages to them from each other. The audience understand why the nurse was so involved with the wedding plans later on in the play. The audience also have another added 'layer of urgency' because they know that Juliet's parents want her to marry Paris. It is with knowledge they are armed with before they are introduced to the plays focus: Romeo and Juliet.
The scene where the Montagues arrive at the feast and Mercutio does his Queen Mab speech almost acts as a time filler before scene 5 where most of the action takes place. Queen Mab is spoken of as the Queen of fairies; her name appears in Welsh and Irish folklore.
Romeo enters the feast broken over Rosaline.
Scene 5 contains many of the foundations that will be revisited later on in the play and the theme of fate which occurs from right after the Prolgue.
Tybalt spots Romeo who has remained inconspicuous ever since as the guests wore masks, and is outraged. He seeks Capulet's consent to help him out but Capulet does not want his party ruined. This only adds fuel to Tybalts already great inferno of hate. The audience are aware of this and are waiting for the next outburst. A question we might ask her is 'Would Romeo have killed Tybalt if Old Capulet had been more sympathetic to his nephews' claims?'
The scene ends with Romeo and Juliet meeting. Rosaline is immediately forgotten and Romeo compares Juliets' beauty in a series of new and vital images which center around light. Here of a torch burning in the darkness.
Chillingly Juliet makes a fatal inadvertant prediction of her fate; '…If he be married my grave is like to be my wedding bed'. This use of dramatic irony serves to create even more tension for the audience who expect the prediction to be realized, as it finally is.
How does the first scene first scene prepare the audience for what is to happen later on in the play?
Each individual scene contains a vital prediction of what is to happen later. It immediately makes the audience aware of the hatred between the households and of its magnitude. The chilling predictions in scene 5 and before are hidden messages to the audience and the dramatic irony runs right through the play.
I think this Act was intended to prepare the audience for what is to happen later on in the play by the sheer amount of clues.