The idea of hate plays a big part in the opening part of the play, there is the mass brawl between the two families’s, which is eventually broken up by Prince Escalus. Benvolio asks Tybalt to help him stop the brawl, but he takes no notice and ends up fighting him, which shows that there is a lot of hate between these two families. Benvolio says
‘I do but keep the peace put up thy sword, or manage it to part these men with me’ and Tybalt replies
‘What! Drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montague’s, and thee!’ Tybalts use of words show real hate towards Benvolio and the Montague’s.
At the party Tybalt spots Romeo and he isn’t happy about him being there so he goes over and speaks to his Uncle, older Capulet, and tells him that Romeo is at the party. Tybalt says to him that he will get somebody to physically remove him from the party because he can’t stand having a Montague there ‘To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.’ ‘Tis he, that villain Romeo’ Tybalt describes Romeo in a vigorous manner, he says about Romeo being a villain, but if anything Tybalt is the villain. When his Uncle refuses to let him get rid of Rome, Tybalt is angry and says this ‘Now seeming sweet convert to bitterest gall.’
At the end of the scene Romeo and Juliet find out that ‘their only love’ is now with their ‘only hate’ and both are devastated. Shakespeare cleverly interlinks the two words ‘love and hate’ very well; he does this because this is what the play is all about ‘love and hate’. When Romeo finds out that his only love is a Capulet he says ‘O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt.’ When Juliet finds out she is even more distraught and she says ‘My only love sprung from my only hate!
‘Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love is to me,
That I must love my loathed enemy.’ Juliet has fallen in love with Romeo and Romeo in love with Juliet and they have now both learnt too late, that they love loathed enemies.
The theme of love in the opening part of the play is about Romeo’s love for Rosaline. After the brawl Lady Montague asks the question ‘O where is Romeo?’ We have seen war and then we hear of love, as Benvolio describes the behaviour of his infatuated friend. Romeo has been having early symptoms of love, unrequited love, but neither Benvolio nor Romeo’s parents appear to recognise this. When Romeo comes back from his long walk he knows that there has been some sort of disturbance in the streets, but he is not interested, there is only one thing that matters to Romeo, the emotion called love ‘Bid a sick man in sadness make his will.
Ah word ill urg’d to one that is so ill!
In sadness, cousin, I do love a women.’ Then in Act One Scene Three Paris proposes to Juliet, Juliet is not sure what to say or how to react, as she is still only young. Juliet shows a young girls obedience and says ‘It is an honour that I dream not of.’ Of course Juliet has not seen or met Romeo at this point.
When Romeo first sees Juliet, it is love at first sight and Shakespeare uses good language to show this ‘I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.’ ‘Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.’ Romeo went on about how beautiful Rosaline is, who was the main reason Romeo went to the party, but when he gets there and sees Juliet, that is it for Romeo, and he has seemingly forgotten about his past love Rosaline and has surely been a victim of love at first sight.
When the two lovers speak for the first time in lines 95-114 Shakespeare uses two types of language religious imagery and a perfectly formed Shakespearian sonnet, which occurs from line 92-105. Shakespeare does this to show the audience that these two ‘star-crossed lovers’ are perfectly matched and completely and utterly in love. The sonnet start at line 92 and finishes at line 103, it is a perfectly formed fourteen line Shakespearian sonnet ‘If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.
Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?
Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.
O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do!
They pray: grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.
Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake.
Then move not, while my prayers’ effect I take.’
The use of the word ‘pilgrim’ is used in nearly every line of the sonnet, Romeo describes them both as being ‘two blushing pilgrims’ which is true, and they are two lovers on a journey.
The themes of love and hate in this scene are contrasted very well, you have Romeo and Juliet who meet each other for the first time and fall in love with each other straight away not knowing that there families are loathed enemies, and Tybalt who spots Romeo at the party and wants him physically removed from there because he can’t stand the thought of a Montague being at the party. So here you have both themes love and hate being contrasted very well. At the end of the scene Romeo and Juliet find out about their families, when they do they are both distraught and both come out with very sad quotes. This reminds us of the ‘ancient grudge’ between these two families and it becomes an insurmountable barrier between these two lovers.
Both Romeo and Juliet are very secretive about their identities like Juliet is trying to avoid approaches by the County Paris for whom the party was partly arranged so that Juliet could meet her future husband, Tybalt has reason for revenge after the party as he saw Romeo there and he wasn’t meant to be, he was gate crashing. Tybalt wasn’t allowed to do anything about it at the party so he wants to do something later on, which ends up turning very bad.
