Romeo and Juliet - Act 1 Scene 5

newcomers in particular “You are welcome gentlemen! Come Musicians play!”. He wants to get the party going and make sure everyone is having fun. He is a good host, and uses his authority wisely and well. He wants his ball to go well and it is more important than having fun himself, or else he would make a servant welcome guests. It is possible he is just doing it to make himself popular after the brawl earlier, which made him look bad in front of the citizens of Verona.The main event of the scene is when Romeo sees Juliet for the first time. When he first sees Juliet he is struck with wonder. He compares her to bright beautiful lights, when he exclaims how “she doth teach the torches to burn bright”. It is as if the room darkens around and all he can see is her, shining brightly. Everything else is forgotten as he looks at her: his old and probably shallow love for Rosaline, the other guests and the fact that he is at Lord Capulets party. He also says that he never loved Rosaline, which is a big thing considering he was extremely depressed over her early in the play. He asks himself “Did my heart love till now? Foreswear it sight” His illusions of being in Love before have been stripped away by seeing Juliet. He may be truly in love for the first time. He compares her to beautiful things such as “a rich jewel in an ethiops ear”. This particular piece of imagery has two meanings. A “jewel in an ethiops ear is beautiful as a whole, but it also shows how she gleams and makes the other party-goers seem dark and unimportant. Romeo also seems to think of her as something sacred, something too good to profane, when he describes her beauty as “to rich to use”. He makes it seem like she is some sort of holy shrine that should not be desecrated.When Capulet realizes that Romeo, the son of his enemy, was at the party, he was strangely friendly, despite the feud earlier. He describes Romeo as a “portly gentleman”. He is flattering Romeo, giving Tybalt an excuse not to hurt him. It is unlikely that he truly cares for Romeo, but rather just wants his party to go well. Unlike Tybalt, he shows the ability to swallow his pride and control his feelings. He is willing to overlook the deep rooted rivalry, just for this night. However, the contrast of love and hate in this scene is a strong as ever in Capulet, as his fury at Tybalts insolence is immense. He would probably whisper angrily at Tybalt when he says “Good man boy! I say he shall! Go to!” He seems very angry at Tybalt for causing an upset in his party. It shows that Capulet is not all smiles like he would have people believe, and just wants for his party to go well. The audience may be worried that Tybalt may meet Romeo when Capulet is not around.In this scene the immense anger and hatred of Tybalt shine through, in a strong contrast to the love shown by Romeo. He is very angry at Romeos presence and shows himself to be rebellious and stubborn. Tybalt refuses to “endure him”. He acts as though it’s an effort to tolerate his presence, as the word “endure” suggests hardship. His temperament is in extreme contrast to Romeos, Tybalt being arrogant and full of hate, Romeo being gentle and easy going. They share the fact that they are both passionate in what they do, though at opposite ends of the spectrum, which is shown by his love and Tybalts anger. The audience finds out he loathes Romeo with all his might when he asks his servant “fetch me my rapier boy”. It is a new low for Tybalt as he shows that he is willing to spill blood over something Romeo was not even involved him, at a party full of people. It shows his unending and slightly irrational hatred of all Montagues and his complete lack of control over his emotions. The violent outburst of anger and hatred that is shown from Tybalt is shortly followed by Romeo and Juliet falling in love. The jump from hate to love shows how important this scene is for the overall play. Tybalt snaps the threat “Now seeming sweet convert to bitterest gall” and almost immediately Romeo talks to Juliet for the first time.Shakespeare makes Romeo and Juliet share a sonnet, in which they have their first kiss. Having the pair share a sonnet shows how they are connected to each other, separate from the outside world. While this is going on, the background actors may freeze, or the lights may dim except on them. Romeo starts the sonnet off, by comparing Juliet to something sacred, and precious. This links back with his previous comment of “beauty to rich to use”. Romeo tells her that “If I profane thee with my unworthiest hand, this holy shrine”. It seems he is saying he would be a villain to touch her, and ruin her beauty. He uses the word profane, which is a powerful word, and usually means a disgusting or vile crime. By saying this he is emphasizing what how much he loves her, and how his “unworthiest hand” is feeble by comparison. Next however, Romeo makes clearer his intentions towards her, by asking for a kiss, but in a clever way, and making more use of his imagery of her as a “holy shrine”. Romeo says that if he profanes her, as he mentioned above, with his hand then he “smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss”. He wants to make up for touching her by giving her a kiss. By saying this he is hinting that although his hand may be unsubtle or clumsy, his kiss will not be, and he is trying to tempt her. He uses the word “Tender” to try and get a kiss from her, by promising her she won’t regret it.The next part of the Sonnet is spoken by Juliet, and it is her response to Romeos flirting. She avoids his asking for a kiss, and instead tells him how his hand is not unworthy at all. She tells him that he does “wrong his hand too much”, and that he is not rough at all. This is carefully thought out by her, as she flatters him, but does not take it a step further and kiss him. It is possible she is teasing him. She also keeps the imagery up of a pilgrim at a shrine, by calling Romeo a “Good pilgrim”. She does this possibly because she is humouring him, or because they are carried away with each other, and barely realize they are doing it. It also is quite relative to their situation, as where a pilgrim asks for help from God, at a holy place, Romeo is asking for a kiss from someone he deems as sacred. Juliet then brings the kiss up, but not in the way Romeo expects. She tells him that “palm to palm is holy palmers kiss”. She is saying in a way that as some parts of the church would greet one another palm to palm, that is how she and Romeo must kiss, hand to hand. This is reversing what he said completely. However, because she is flattering him as well, it is unlikely she wants to put him off entirely. It is more likely she is teasing him, or playing with him. Near the end of the Sonnet they share, Romeo becomes more forthright and open about what he wants. He tells Juliet he thinks they should “let lips do what hands do”. This is almost directly asking for a kiss from her. Romeo is not losing his patience, but he is becoming unable to control his emotions, and think properly. He is getting more infatuated with her as the sonnet goes on, and cannot bear to resist his urges for much longer. Juliet eventually allows the feelings she has been suppressing throughout the sonnet to come out, near the end of it. She tells Romeo he can “have my lips the sin that they have took”. She is not giving in to Romeo, but to herself. She is allowing herself to express what she really feels.As the sonnet end with a kiss, the real world breaks in on them. The nurse says “madam”, and at this point, background actors may unfreeze, lights may come back on, and louder or different music may restart. This scene is very important as it is the first expression of Juliet and Romeos love, and of Tybalts hatred. The contrast really sets the scene for the rest of the play and emphasizes the love-hate relationships.