The dramatic impact of Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet

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THE DRAMATIC IMPACT OF ACT 3 SCENE 1 OF ROMEO AND JULIET

Para 1

In this essay we will be discussing the dramatic impact of Act 3 Scene 1 in the play, Romeo and Juliet.  The play, penned circa 1534, is a tragedy set in the city of Verona and is possibly one of Shakespeare’s finest.  We will explore how this scene becomes pivotal in the narrative, as the audience and reader experience a dramatic double murder, in which the two main characters ultimately change the course of the story.  We will consider firstly plot, as up to this point in the play the pressure has been building.  Specifically we must look at character as the characters’ true colours are often shown in stressful times; it drives the play forward.  As Shakespeare is the master of creating characters through language, we must also analyse the drama of his words.  Setting and staging contribute directly to the drama of the scene, whilst themes, of which there are several, are constantly expressed.  Finally, we will discuss how the play is based on a piece of Greek writing and how the prologue hints at the unfolding drama.

Para 2

 Let us summarise what has happened so far in the play in order to contextualise the drama of this scene.  At the start of the play there was a street fight between the servants of the Capulets and those of the Montagues. They were then warned that if any of their families fought in the streets of Verona again they would be put to death.  After that Benvolio speaks with Romeo about his depression because of Rosaline and Benvolio is trying to get him to look for other ladies, “Examine other beauties”, in this quote Benvolio is trying to be a good friend and it reflects his character of a carefree peaceful person.   Paris is  trying to persuade Capulet to let him marry Juliet, Capulet’s only child, however Capulet tells him that Juliet must love him in return otherwise he will not agree. Then, the Servant who delivers the invitations to Capulet’s party asks Romeo and Benvolio to read them for him.  This gives Benvolio an idea to help Romeo get over Rosaline.  Soon after that Lady Capulet tells Juliet and her Nurse about Paris and his proposal of marriage.  Romeo goes to the party and immediately falls in love with her. Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, recognises Romeo as a Montague and wants to fight him, however Old Capulet restrains him.  Romeo and Juliet find themselves talking at the party, afterwards Juliet discovers from the Nurse that he is a Montague.  Romeo returns to the Capulet’s house and secretly listens to Juliet talking of her new love, and when he reveals himself they arrange to be married and have Nurse as their messenger. Friar Lawrence is then persuaded to marry them in the last scene before the closing of Act 2 Romeo and Juliet are married by the Friar.  In all of the scenes before Act 3 Scene 1 there are no major moments that change the course of the play; that makes this scene even more dramatic and pivotal .We experienced fighting in Act 1 Scene 1 which implied that there would be future brawls.  Also it intensifies more when Tybalt wants to fight Romeo in the party but is dissuaded from doing so by Capulet, “I would not for the wealth of all this town, Here in my house do him disparagement; therefore be patient, take no note of him; it is my will”.  He contradicts himself by first being the wise, pacifist to inferring that he can fight him another time. This shows that hes head of the Capulets and whatever he says goes, however this would be unlikely to happen nowadays.  

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Para 3

We will discuss the plot of the story and how it adds dramatic impact to the play.  The fact that they are from feuding families, they are opposites, adds a sense of tension to the play as a whole, and it is also a theme of the play. Also where there are conflicts there must be resolutions and the resolutions could be good or bad depending on what the writer decides. In this play the outcome is positive and negative, the families stop their feud but lose a child due to the conflict. Tybalt shows that the feud ...

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