Romeo and Juliet - How does Shakespeare shape our response to the lover's first meeting in Act I Scene V?
Martin AlbaziEnglish Coursework Romeo and Juliet Ms O’shea Romeo and Juliet How does Shakespeare shape our response to the lover’s first meeting in Act I Scene V? Shakespeare shapes our response to the lover’s first meeting in a number of ways. Romeo and Juliet is set in the town of Verona. It is a story of two feuding families the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. Verona is divided by civil war between these two noble families. We are told of an ancient grudge in the prologue but are never told in detail. This was a common way to introduce a play, the words of a chorus would silence an unsettled audience at the beginning and set the atmosphere. The chorus informs and wets the appetite of the audience as it predicts the outcome and fate of the “star crossed lovers”. This keeps within the realm of a Greek tragedy. The families’ siblings Romeo and Juliet meet by fate at a party and fall in love and plan to marry, but Juliet’s mother is planning Juliet’s marriage to Count Paris. But in secret Romeo and Juliet marry through Friar Laurence who hopes this would bring the two feuding families together but the story ends in
tragedy as the ancient grudge between the two families conquers true love. Throughout the story there are many different themes surrounding the main one of true love between Romeo and Juliet. There is hate, between the two families, feuding, which is continuous between the fiery Tybalt and the Montague boys. There are always secrets and tensions, through the nurse whose role is the messenger between Romeo and Juliet but she likes to torment them by keeping them in secret from the messages. Shakespeare has drawn the nurse with wonderful thrill and much of the humour is derived from her foibles. ...
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tragedy as the ancient grudge between the two families conquers true love. Throughout the story there are many different themes surrounding the main one of true love between Romeo and Juliet. There is hate, between the two families, feuding, which is continuous between the fiery Tybalt and the Montague boys. There are always secrets and tensions, through the nurse whose role is the messenger between Romeo and Juliet but she likes to torment them by keeping them in secret from the messages. Shakespeare has drawn the nurse with wonderful thrill and much of the humour is derived from her foibles. Her most prominent feature is her immense loquacity. She repeats herself. Throughout the play the Nurse continually appears. At the beginning of the play the relationship is clear. From the outset and throughout the play the trust, protection, willingness, mischief, and loving care of the Nurse are shown. The Nurse has a lot of affection for Juliet. She plays more of a mother figure to Juliet than her natural mother does, Lady Capulet. The Nurse has nursed her all her life. The Nurse has been within the Capulet household for at least fourteen years, the entirety of Juliet’s life. As Juliet grows up, she still plays an important role in her life. The Nurse was actually Juliet’s wet nurse, and it is proven that a bond between a baby and one who feeds it is very strong. In act 1 scene 5 the Nurse interrupts the first kiss of Romeo and Juliet. She says, “madam your mother craves a word with you”. The Nurse is clear about what is going on. She does what she thinks is best, and tries to protect Romeo by telling him who and what she is. This shows a soft touch. The Nurse may like him. However, she knows that it can only cause trouble. Friar Lawrence although by no means the main character, played never the less a key role in the tragedy of Romeo & Juliet. In this essay I’m going to write about whom the Friar is, what his role is in the play. The issues of how his character influences the play, if he was responsible for Romeo & Juliet deaths and whether he could have prevented the tragedy will also be discussed. Among other points will be how fate played a part in the play, what the other characters thought of him, and what Friar Lawrence’s intentions were. In the play Friar Lawrence has many occupations. He is a priest to the people of Verona as is shown through the Friars public duties, including leading Juliet’s funeral. To many he is a teacher and advice giver (agony Uncle) most notably to Romeo who the Friar refers to him as a pupil. Romeo and Juliet meet by fate at a party. Romeo is enjoying the party when a dazzling young lady catches his eye. He doesn’t know why, but he knows that the girl he sees is ‘the one’. The effect of Romeo falling in love is immediate, risking the danger of being discovered, he acts with firm decision. With Juliet’s encouragement he is ready to make preparations for the marriage. His youthfulness is already turning to manliness. His refusal to fight with Tybalt is not a sign of weakness but strength; he has somehow changed after meeting Juliet. If Romeo was to never meet Juliet and Tyabalt offered him a fight than Romeo would not have refused. Romeos progress to the status of tragic hero is marred when he lapses in to boyish, tearful, and self pity and rages ineffectually in Friar Lawrence’s cell. Romeo acts maturely when he hears about he hears about Juliet’s death. He calls Paris “boy” + “Youth”. The knowledge that Romeo’s going to die, gives him maturity beyond his years. Juliet undergoes a development similar to Romeo. She advances from the naïve simplicity of a young girl to the complicated emotions of a woman placed in tragic circumstances. At first she is submissive and obedient to her parents appears willing to marry Paris. However, her love for Romeo changes her completely. She is practical and aware of the new circumstances, and she makes the proposal of marriage. All of Shakespeare’s plays are written in blank verse, like to human voice. This technique allows flexibility and a wide range of tones. E.g. Tybalt – “What art though drawn among these hearless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. Most dramatists in the 16th and 17th century used this form. Soliloquies are used mainly by the lovers Romeo and Juliet, e.g. “my only love” and “o dear account”. Romeo describes Juliet’s beauty entirely in a soliloquy as she kills herself in the vault. Romeo and Juliet is a universal love story and is one of the most popular love stories in the world. Romeo and Juliet appeals to all ages and has been converted over the years in to Films, TV adaptations, books, cartoons and magazines. Romeo and Juliet is also studies by thousands of schools around the world and is not just known in the western countries but also known in parts of Asia, Africa and south America.