Also in the same scene (Act 1 Scene 5) it highlights the conflict caused between love and hate. This is the scene where Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time and fall in love with each other but also where Tybalt swears revenge on Romeo for intruding on the party. So this conflict is a result of the love Romeo had for a Capulet. Also this scene is the start of the story. This is because if Romeo and Juliet hadn’t fallen in love then there would be no story and also because if Tybalt hadn’t of discovered about Romeos intrusion then he wouldn’t have sworn revenge therefore he would not have a real reason to try and kill him and would not end up killing Mercutio and he would not get killed himself. So a number of key events are allowed to take place because of one incident.
In the opening of this scene the mood is light and happy which is because it is the beginning of the party. The servants are rushing around happily and Capulet is welcoming his guests. This joyful opening provides the perfect platform for the introduction of Juliet to Romeo but it also shows us how big the contrast actually is as later on Tybalt swears his revenge.
Romeo is not supposed to be attending this party for one reason. He is a Montague. He goes however because he wants to see a girl he thinks he loves. However this is not Juliet it is her cousin. When Romeo sees Juliet he speaks to himself using hyperbole. He also uses references to light which give us the impression that she is bright and beautiful. These references are ‘she doth teaches the torches to burn bight’, ‘she hangs on the cheek of night’ and ‘a snowy dove trooping with crows.’ The way he speaks about Juliet gives us the impression that it is love at first sight. For example he says ‘I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.’
When Tybalt discovers that Romeo has intruded on Capulet’s party he is furious. The mood changes from pure love into pure hatred. This is made worse when Capulet refuses to allow Tybalt to challenge Romeo immediately because he says it will ruin his party ‘You’ll make a mutiny among my guests’ and ‘You will set cock-a-hoop!’ also because Tybalt is not allowed to pursue this incident there and then it allows for the story to continue which ultimately leads to the death of Mercutio, Tybalt himself and most importantly Romeo and Juliet.
As well as changing the mood and atmosphere when Tybalt finds Romeo he does it again when Romeo and Juliet meet, talk and kiss. He does this by using religious imagery. For example he uses the phrases ‘my lips, two blushing pilgrims ready stand’, ‘let lips do what hands do’ which is touch so he is asking her to kiss him, but she lets him kiss her because she says ‘though grant for prayers sake.’ This is when the mood dramatically changes as the audience find out that they cannot be together as they are arch enemies any they begin to understand the extent of the anger Tybalt feels towards Romeo.
When Romeo and Juliet find out that they are from the two different houses they each say a short but meaningful speech which includes the main themes of the play, love and hate and it shows us how closely the two can be intermingled.
This scene we have been studying is one of the most dramatic scenes which is full of passion and is a key scene which allows the rest of the play to continue. We can see the characters and what theme they represent. We find out that without this scene the play cannot continue, and also we can see how Shakespeare can dramatically change the atmosphere and mood. However most importantly we can understand how important the themes of love and hate actually are and how they become mixed up just by looking at what is being said bye the characters. ‘MY only love sprung from my only hate.’
