Romeos heart filled speech is directly followed by Tybalt’s anger. Whilst Romeo stands in wonder he is observed by Tybalt, who recognises him as an enemy, Tybalts reaction is immediate, a foe means a fight “fetch me my rapier, boy” This would be a shock for the audience as it is a direct contrast to what Romeo was telling us. We realise the threat is there and how hard it will be for Romeo and Juliet to be together. Tybalt’s explosion of anger ends in a Rhyming couplet showing the audience his fury towards the Montague family.
Fortunately Lord Capulet is watching, and we see that the older man has become a little wiser since the morning. He restraints Tybalt – but we realise that his restraint will not be very effective for very long. Capulet may dislike the Montagues, but he is trying to obey the Prince's command. But as a host, he cannot allow even an enemy to be attacked under his own roof. Lord Capulet is emotional and if a fight breaks out he will be held responsible and executed. And, he tells Tybalt, Romeo is “virtuous and well-governed.” Tybalt is angry at losing the chance for a fight, and blames Romeo for this, especially when he is made to look silly by Capulet, who tells him off and calls him a “saucy boy”. Tybalt uses a Rhyming couplet to force the idea of his hate into the audience. Capulet loses his temper when Tybalt will not do as he says, “Am I the master here, or you?” Tybalt says he will not hurt him “I’ll not endure him” But He wants to fight now, the longer he will wait the worse his anger will get, he explains this using another Rhyming couplet, “I will withdraw; but this intrusion shall now seeming sweet will convert to bitterest gall.” Romeo's comments about Juliet alternate with Tybalt's attempt to attack Romeo - who does not know that he's been noticed.
The argument between Lord Capulet and his nephew has given Romeo time to approach Juliet; the two lovers would stand apart from the rest of the characters on the stage. The dancing continues but they are not a part of it. Tybalt’s passionate hatred is contrasted by love sonnet that follows. His words hang in the air as Shakespeare shows the most important moment of the scene, where Romeo and Juliet speak for the first time. The form of verse in which they have begun to speak emphasizes their separateness. This has the form of a sonnet, which many in the 16th Century audience would notice, as they heard the pattern of rhymes. Romeo starts the sonnet with a devout religious image “If I profane with this unworthy hand, this holy shrine, the gentile sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims” This holy imagery was a big part of peoples lives, it was normal for people to speak like this at the time the play was written. Juliet falls into his idiom of religious image and falls into his train of thought “holy palmers kiss.” When Romeo speaks to Juliet he compares her hand to a holy place “shrine” which he may ruin “profane” with his hand. He compares his lips to pilgrims that can “smooth” away the “rough touch” of the hand with a kiss. “Gentle sin” is an oxymoron - a contradiction, as “gentle” means noble or virtuous (in the 16th Century) while a “sin” is usually the opposite of noble. Juliet explains that handholding is the right kind of kiss for pilgrims, while lips are for praying. Romeo's witty response is to ask for permission to let his lips do what his hands are allowed to, and Juliet agrees to “grant” this for the sake of his prayers. She allows him to take her hand and to kiss her. Anything more in a public situation could make us think Juliet to be promiscuous as it is, she has been very forward for a young lady at that time. When Romeo kisses her, Juliet says she has received the sin he has “purged” from himself. Romeo insists at once that he must take it back - and kisses her again!
Throughout this scene (apart from the servants who use informal thou, thee, thy pronoun forms) the characters (even Romeo and Juliet) often address each other with the formal and respectful pronoun “you”. When Capulet is being pleasant to Tybalt he uses thou, thee, thy but when he becomes angry he switches to “you”. When Romeo and Juliet meet, their speech shows the sequence of actions from handholding to kissing. We do not know exactly how this would be acted out in Shakespeare's theatre. It could be possible that a male could play the part of Juliet and the actors would simulate the kiss. This is why Romeo emphasizes Juliet’s beauty. In modern film versions, with actresses shown in close-up, we expect rather more authentic action.
Since it was wrong for young people, alone, to kiss, in Italy to society at that time, it shows that nothing can stop their love. The lovers must be brought back from the state of isolation to the real world; and they must begin to understand what has happened to them, they were so consumed in their passion that it seemed they were about to start another sonnet but the nurse interrupts them “Your mother craves a word with you.” Whist Romeo and the nurse are alone together he questions her about Juliet “What is her mother?” The nurse tells him she is a Capulet, this brings devastation to Romeo, his growing passion is destroyed just because they come from different families. “Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foes debt.” Hence, our emotions are manipulated again as Romeo’s fate seems impossible to cope with.
Capulet returns and tells everyone that the party is over which clears the stage for the nurse and Juliet. She says that the worst thing that could happen is that he would be married “If he be married-my grave is like to be my wedding bed” This is dramatic irony as the prologue tells the audience; “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.” Juliet ends this scene with a rhyming couplet to exaggerate the fated ending of the lover’s life. Shakespeare leaves the audience feeling moved at the end of this scene and full of fear for the lovers.
In this scene Shakespeare has dramatised it using comparisons between love and hate youth and age and light and darkness. He leaves the audience with a feeling of warmth and admiration towards Romeo and Juliet but a feeling of doom, as their love is impossible and will end in tragedy, manifested by Tybalts threat of revenge, which hangs about the stage even as he has exited.