Dramatic effects are used when the writer wants to build tension or say something indirectly to the audience, and the play writer is trying to show some emotions and making the audience feel how the characters are feeling at that moment. Shakespeare does that with sounds, lights emotions and use of voice in this play.
The important characters in act 3 scene 1 are, Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt and Romeo. These characters introduce this scene and are the main characters of this scene. These characters are important to this scene because their emotions and acting makes the play just as if the play is not a play and it’s a real life. The characters also make the scene look effective to the audience as they are watching a real life story and the characters emotions do not look unreal, therefore the audience will be really into the play and will understand how the characters feel. The characters also try and make the audience feel as if the audience is in their position and make the audience feel what the characters are going through.
I would describe the character of Mercutio as humorous, quarrelsome, and provocative and has a lot of honour. Benvolio could be described as sensible, nervous and mature. The character of Tybalt is violent, hostile, aggressive, rancorous and vengeful. The characterisation of Romeo, he is loyal, vengeful and fatalistic.
The unimportant characters also make this scene so I think its important to mention who they are and what they are like. Lady Capulet is concerned for honour, implacable and vengeful. Prince Escalus is also in this scene and his features are that he is wise, peaceable and firm. To show their characterisation there are some quotes. Benvolio says, ‘I pray thee let’s retire’. Mercutio says, ‘a plague on both of your houses’. Tybalt says, ‘thou art a villain’. Romeo says, ‘this day’s black fate’. The quote that makes lady Capulet vengeful is, ‘for blood of ours shed blood of Montague’. The phrase that Prince Escalus says to make him wise and peaceable is, ‘I will be deaf to pleading ears and excuse’. These quotes match to each of their characters and how they are set.
The language and dramatic devices that Shakespeare uses are very important to the play so that Shakespeare can make the audience feel the same way as the characters. The importance of using this type of language is that people at that time could understand and at that time it was a professional spoken language. Shakespeare uses the olden times language, if you see the difference of then and now you won’t realise what they were trying to say but Shakespeare made this play as it would be easy to know what is happening exactly at that moment.
For example Benvolio says, ‘I am begging you, good Mercutio, let’s call it a day’. But at that time it was said like this ‘I pray thee, Good Mercutio, Let’s retire. There’s a lot of difference in understanding that what they are trying to say and what the words they are saying mean. You can understand what they are trying to say by picking the key words and try and work out if this is happening then this is what he is trying to say.
The language the characters use is useful as well the way they speak in like different tones when they are shouting and angry they show how they feel about the person they are talking to. If the person is angry then they will shout and talk in a nasty way so the other person will not like it and another thing is that if the person is in love then he/she will talk in a romantic way.
The structure that Shakespeare uses in this play is very important. Act 3 scene 1 is played there because that’s when he wants to create tension for the audience and so they feel bad that Mercutio dies in a bad situation. The part that Romeo becomes sad also contributes to the audience because the emotions, lightening and sounds that Shakespeare has created effects the audience, so they also feel bad when Romeo is feeling guilty that he dies for him.
Before this scene Shakespeare set up the scene so he could make this scene very dramatic and could build the tension. So he wrote the scene as Romeo and Juliet secretly get married, so in act 3 scenes 1 Shakespeare can build the tension as Juliet dies and then Romeo dies after her.
The theme that Shakespeare has brought in this scene is tragedy, romance and love. He has added these themes so the play could be more dramatic. These themes also have been introduced a scene earlier so they slow build up to a tension build. He wanted to build the tension for the big fight that Mercutio dies in so the tension between the audience and the play is really high and so that the audience could be really into this play. The theme which is set in this play is the best he used he has made lots of other plays but he has used the best tension build and the best dramatic emotions.
