Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare about the love and determination between two young people, throughout the play Shakespeare describes love in a brutal, emotional and powerful way. Both teenagers take their own lives just to be with each other in peace and not between their two families feud (the Capulet and Montague). Romeo and Juliet first set eyes upon each other in act 1 scene 5 where they meet and immediately fall in love.
The prologue in Romeo and Juliet tells us what will happen in the play and that both Romeo and Juliet who Shakespeare uses a metaphor to describe as " star crossed lovers" will face a very dramatic end because of their families feud. Shakespeare tells us in the prologue the danger these two teenagers are putting themselves in by being in an impossible relationship due to both their surnames. Shakespeare also says in the prologue
" The fearful passage of their death-marked love"
Here he basically says that they are both doomed to death. In the prologue he tells us what's going to happen in the play, about the danger of these hot blooded young men fighting with dangerous weapons to result in the death of two young lovers.
The play Romeo and Juliet starts in fair Verona where the Capulet and Montague families are at war with each other. The two families Tybalt who is Capulet and Benvolio who is Montague
insult each other and make highly insulting gestures at each other, One of these is when Benvolio bites his thumb at Tybalt which is when Tybalt says
"Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"
Shakespeare made this very insulting and offensive in the play purposely and that is what causes the fight in the opening scene. This is a very important part of the play because it shows how dangerous it will be for Romeo and Juliet to have a relationship between the "fiery" Tybalt and Benvolio who are both hot blooded young men with pure hatred for each other and respect for both of their families fighting with dangerous weapons in Verona. Eventually, the Prince breaks up
the fight, leaving both households with a warning
"If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives will pay the forfeit of the peace".
By saying this the Prince is threatening both households with capital punishment, meaning if a fight breaks out again the consequence will be death for all citizens breaking that law.
When this happens Romeo is elsewhere thinking about his love for Rosaline and hears that she will be attending Lord Capulet's party. This was his chance to speak to Roseline and declare his love for her so he decides to ...
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the fight, leaving both households with a warning
"If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives will pay the forfeit of the peace".
By saying this the Prince is threatening both households with capital punishment, meaning if a fight breaks out again the consequence will be death for all citizens breaking that law.
When this happens Romeo is elsewhere thinking about his love for Rosaline and hears that she will be attending Lord Capulet's party. This was his chance to speak to Roseline and declare his love for her so he decides to gatecrash Capulet's party. Romeo was taking a very big risk doing this and putting himself in a lot of danger, as he was a Montague and a fight had already broken out between the two families.
Instead of talking to Rosaline, Romeo meets Juliet, Lord Capulets daughter, who is there to meet Paris. Paris is the suitor to whom Lord Capulet agreed to marry his daughter. Juliet is not yet fourteen years old but it was common at this time to get married at such a young age. Juliet says
"It is an honour I dream not have"
Meaning she's not happy with the idea of getting married so young and to Paris.
In opening part of Act 1 scene 5 Lord Capulet is welcoming everyone to the party as well as congratulating himself for such a success.
When Romeo first sees Juliet he is entranced by her beauty and says she is like
"A snowy dove trooping with crows"
This relates back to what Benvolio says to Romeo about Rosaline in act 1 scene 2 when Romeo was claiming he was still in love with her
"Compare her face with some that I shall show, and I will make thee think thy swan a crow"
All this sums up to Juliet whom Romeo now describes as "a snowy dove". Romeo also describes Juliet
"As a rich jewel in an Ethiops ear"
Here he is basically saying Juliet stands out like a shining diamond on a black background and uses a simile to describe it. Romeos use of language in this scene tells us that in Romeos eyes Juliet was love at first sight to him. Romeo says in his last line "for I ne'er saw true beauty till this night"
Basically he is saying here that Juliet is the first true beauty he has ever seen. Romeos language is very rich and Romantic in act 1 scene 5. He asks himself
"Did my heart love till now"?
This immediately tells the audience his relationship with Rosaline was just infatuation and his feelings towards Juliet are very strong.
When Tybalt over hears Romeo's voice he is outraged that a Montague should dare gatecrash Capulet's party. He was furious and his first reaction was
"Fetch me my rapier, boy."
Tybalt says,
"To strike him dead I hold it not a sin"
Which was a very dangerous threat towards Romeo as he threatened to kill him. When Lord Capulet hears Tybalt's threats he says,
"To say truth, Verona brags of him, to be a virtuous and well-governed youth."
Capulet is stating that Romeo is a respected citizen of Verona and to do him harm would inflict a lot of damage to Capulet's reputation,
"I would not for the wealth of this town in my house do him disparagement."
Capulet is remembering the warning of the prince but it is ironic that here he describes Romeo in complimentary terms and stating that he would not do him harm.
It makes me think that Romeo and Juliet's deaths were avoidable if Lord Capulet thought so highly of Romeo.
After the incident with Tybalt, Romeo speaks to Juliet for the first time and the language between them is very powerful and is in the form of a sonnet, which they both share and create. In this particular scene, there is a lot of romance between Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare made their words into a sonnet purposely to catch the audience's attention. The sonnet between Romeo and Juliet is a very powerful part of the play as it expresses how much romance is actually being used to give the audience a feeling of mixed emotion while they watch. They are both very flirtatious when they first meet. Their words are full of tender holy imagery as they speak of a holy shrine, pilgrims, devotion, saints, prayer, faith, and sin, especially in this scene when Romeo describes Juliet as a "holy shrine" and also describes himself and Juliet as "two blushing pilgrims". When they finally kiss Romeo says
"Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged"
Meaning that the kiss of his saint has cleansed him of sin. This gives Juliet an opportunity to tease him into another kiss. She says
"Then have my lips the sin that they have took"
Here she says that if her lips have taken
away his sin, then her lips must now have his sin. Romeo responded to say sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again? They then kiss again.
Juliet is called away by her nurse, who Romeo then asks Juliet's name. He finds out that she is a Capulet,
"O dear account! My life is my foe's debt."
This means that he now owes his very life to Juliet, who is his enemy.
Juliet still doesn't know who Romeo is. She asks the nurse to find out who he is. But she asks about two other men first, so as not to make it obvious she is just interested in Romeo. When the nurse tells her he is a Montague, she is equally shocked
"My only love sprung from my only hate!"
There is a sense of despair and disappointment for both of them I think. However, neither of them give up and try to move on. Also, the fact that neither of them knew each other's name before they said what they did, and kissed, shows suddenness of their love.
This scene is most importantly about Romeo and Juliet's romance, but the way in which Shakespeare mixes this with Tybalt's aggression shows that it not only begins their love but also their downfall and death. Romeo and Juliet seek unity between themselves and also their houses, but Tybalt wishes to divide them. This mix between love and hate is what the whole play is all about.
