Love plays tricks on our mind and alters our feeling:
‘With love’s light wing did I o’erperch these walls,
for stony limits cannot hold love out, and what can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop me’
This phrase personifies love. It makes Romeo seem like a bird during this speech. Shakespeare has used imagery such as ‘love’s light wing’. This imagery describes what Romeo feels. This speech is a contrast to Juliet; this is due to the fact that Romeo’s words are complex and contain emotions, whereas Juliet’s speech is simple and direct. There is dramatic power as things are more complex then they seem. Juliet’s response shows the audience that she is nervous to respond to love. Juliet is the character, who brings this scene back to reality. Her speech is also brief in contrast to Romeo’s elaborate speech. One word, which stands out in Juliet’s speech, is ‘Murder’. This word symbolizes shock. Murder gives the audience an image of danger. Romeo, however, does not believe that anything will happen to him and switches the focus of the play back to love.
When Romeo says ‘What shall I swear by?’ this shows his love for Juliet and how all he wants is to be closer to her. However, Juliet replies ‘Do not swear at all.’ This shows Juliet wants to make the right decision and not a rushed one. This shows that Juliet is in charge as she is controlling Romeo and telling him what to do. Romeo wants to be committed quickly, but Juliet is more cautious. This gives us the idea of uncertainty, which is a dominant feature of the play. The audience can see the uncertainty throughout the play.
At the beginning of Act 2, scene 2, there is not really a sense of reality, as love has taken over. Yet, further on in the scene, Juliet comes back to Reality:
‘To cease thy strife, and leave me to my grief. Tomorrow will I send’
This shows that Juliet wants to make sure that this is the right decision. She thinks with her head, not just her heart.
Romeo and Juliet as characters both have a major impact on the audience. There are both similarities and differences. These play a large role in the dramatic importance of these scenes in the play. Both Romeo and Juliet feel that both their background and family don’t matter. All they feel is that they would like to be together, no matter what their families think. The words: ‘and what love can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me’ show Romeo is trying to personify love as himself. Both Romeo and Juliet believe nothing should separate them. Along with their similarities, there are also differences. Juliet is practical and believes that they should not rush into anything, yet Romeo is taking his heart’s advice and not listening to his head. There is also the way that Romeo is elaborate, showing his feelings, but Juliet does not show a lot of emotion. This is one of the major contrasts between the characters. This is ironic as the audience can see that Juliet is, in reality, a very emotive person behind the front she puts on.
When looking at Act 2, scene 5, another type of love is shown. This is the love between Juliet and the nurse. This is more of a warm caring love, not one that includes passion. However at times the nurse can seem against Juliet in this scene. When the nurse finally returns she has the news Juliet's been waiting for, but she isn't telling; Instead, she teases Juliet, acting sad, complaining of her aching bones and shortage of breath. The more Juliet pleads, the more the Nurse teases her. We get the feeling that the Nurse has done this to Juliet before. It might have been a funny game when Juliet was little, but now that she needs important information, the Nurse's prattle seems thoughtless and cruel. This shows us a different side to the nurse, which is not shown in previous scenes.
I'll warrant him, as gentle as a lamb. Go thy ways, wench; serve God. What, have you dined at home?’
This speech by the Nurse is in prose. There are signs of the mood lightening. This is in contrast to Juliet’s anxiety which is shown in the speeches both before and after the Nurse’s. The nurse rambles on in long sentences, trying to divert the main focus. This is done by ending with an irrelevant question. This adds comedy to the scene and also increases the tension adding more dramatic importance. As the Nurse carries on talking she finally says the truth.
Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence' cell; there stays a husband to make you a wife: Now comes the wanton blood up in your cheeks, They'll be in scarlet straight at any news.
This speech shows a change in the Nurse’s language from prose to poetry. This signals the change in mood and goes straight to the point . It is powerful and moving news for both Juliet and the audience, as the play makes the audience feel a part of it. The play is timeless as modern audiences will be able to relate to it as much as Shakespearean audiences did.
We begin to notice that the whole play revolves around messages, and that the two lovers depend on the message-bearers. This shows that Juliet is dependent on the nurse to help her through. However, as the nurse played tricks with Juliet earlier, the audience can see that inevitably there will be problems due to notes later. As we see later on in the play, notes cause serious distress.
Juliet’s speeches are sometime in contrast to what the audience can see
‘Honest nurse farewell’
This is not true as the nurse does tell the truth throughout the majority of the scene. When the nurse said ‘ah my back, my back’ this was not the truth, just a way of delaying what she has to say. I feel the nurse does this so that she is sure Juliet is committed to Romeo. However, after every delay Juliet feels more passionate, showing the nurse Romeo is ‘the one’ for Juliet. However, at the end, the nurse is honest and tells Juliet where to meet her sweetheart.
In act 2, Scene 5 there is contrast between tension and comedy. The comic areas of this extract are when the nurse delays revealing information to Juliet. She includes a dramatic pause, which gives the play a lighthearted extract in which the audience can enjoy the comedy. Another comic theme is the contrast between the youth and the elderly. The elderly is a simile for the frustration Juliet has, even before the Nurse comes back to deliver the news to her. Comedy and tension are linked by the comic tension shown to the audience in this act. The tension includes Juliet’s soliloquy. Another way the tension is shown is the way that the mood suddenly changes, and the way the language is effected.
Language is something that Shakespeare has used to reflect the feelings of the characters. The Nurse is down to earth and a pragmatic view of life and love. This is in contrast to the other two characters in the scenes studied. The Nurses speech is in prose, unlike the verse and iambic pentameter used elsewhere. In the majority of Shakespeare’s plays, the characters with the lower status, often lighten the mood, through prose. This is true about ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as the Nurse’s prose adds the comedy to the scene. The way the Nurse speaks is in dramatic contrast to Juliet. Juliet’s tone is more urgent and breathless, often speeding up the pace. It also includes repetition such as
‘ Nay come I pray thee speak, good, good, Nurse speak’
The response to this is slow, which causes the pace to slow and also the mood to change. The Nurse also rambles and dwells on physical attributes and also delays by teasing. Through the nurse’s speech we can also see a emphasis on self pity. This is in contrast to the other two characters in the scenes studied as they are living life to the full and acting as if each day is their last. However, from the language the nurse uses, we can see that she does not live her life to its full potential. Another character that has a major influence in these scenes is Romeo. Romeo’s dialogue is poetic but also straight to the point. His speech is at a slow pace which give the impression of romance. However, towards the end of the act 2, scene 2 the pace quickens. Romeo tries to give the impression that he is brave, gentle, romantic, passionate and willing to do anything for Juliet. Juliet becomes more direct in her speech, worried that her affections have been to easily, won, She speaks like this because it makes Romeo feel that she really is serious about their relationship. Juliet is afraid that she has given the wrong impression of herself to Romeo and she is fearful of her behaviour, saying it is strange, but it will become truer. Romeo swears his love by the moon and Juliet gets upset because she feels that the moon changes shape and she does not want the love to change. Juliet says ' swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of me idolatry, and I'll believe thee' which means she does not want Romeo to swear on the moon. She wants him to swear himself because she idolises him and this shows her seriousness
He speaks quickly which gives the audience an impression of urgency. Compared to the twenty-first century, marriage was more of a commitment in Shakespearean times. In modern society, divorce is a lot more common, showing marriage is much less of a life long commitment. This relates to the language in this play as in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ every time marriage is mentioned, the tone and language become a lot more serious and show it is something the characters will keep their vows until they die, no matter who else they hurt on the way.
These scenes out of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ defy what was normal in Shakespearean times. One of the main ways this is shown is that young women like Juliet were expected to be obedient to their families. However, we can see from Juliet’s behaviour that she went against her families wishes. A twenty first century audience feels more sympathetic towards Juliet as they can relate to Juliet and imagine how she is feeling.
During Shakespeare’s lifetime, society was organised rigidly. There was a clear hierarchy where people were ranked and confined. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is special as we side with young lovers against those who are said to be better and older than them. This divide was one common is Shakespearean times.
‘Romeo and Juliet’ does not make a specific moral statement about the relationships between love and society, religion, and family; rather, it portrays the chaos and passion of being in love, combining images of love, violence, death, religion, and family in an impressionistic rush leading to the play’s tragic conclusion.
