The Prince’s speech is written in blank verse (much like the rest of the play), because it consists of unrhymed lines, but it has iambic pentameter: “Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,
Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel-
Will they not hear?-What ho! You men, you beasts”.
This is not standard language and if everybody on the stage is talking in this way it creates an atmosphere which causes the audience to become more and more interested. It gives it a poetic structure and it’s a way of drawing the audience in. It also gives the princes speech a sense of authority. Shakespeare uses this strict and formal verse because; it builds up tension between the two families. This is perceived on stage and by the audience.
The servants (however small their parts are) have a lot to do with the rest of the play. If the servants had not started a fight amongst themselves, on that day, then there would not be so much tension between Tybalt and the Montagues later on. This would mean that it would be unlikely that there is another fight, which would mean that Romeo would not have been banished and he and Juliet would not have killed themselves. So if the servants were not there the play would not have ended up how it did. The theme in the Prince’s speech and in the rest of Act 1 Scene1 is hatred. Shakespeare uses a lot of themes throughout the play to create the change in moods, as the play builds up.
The next main event in the play of Romeo and Juliet is when Romeo and Benvolio and the other Montague’s are wrongly informed about the mask ball. Like the other two events, this event also leads to a chain reaction of events that effect the outcome of the play. After they are invited, Romeo and the other Montagues go to the party and Romeo meets Juliet. Tybalt finds out that the Montagues are there and wants to start a fight, but Capulet will not let him (this builds up even more rage inside Tybalt). Romeo and Juliet fall in love as soon as they meet and arrange to marry the next day which is really odd but back when the play was set they did not have the same marital rituals that we have nowadays. Then Tybalt starts another fight between the Montagues. This then leads to Romeo’s banishment,
There is some dramatic irony, when Peter (wrongly) informs Romeo and the other Montagues to the party. This is because, the audience knows that Peter is not supposed to be informing the Montagues about the party, Romeo and Benvolio also know full well that they are not supposed to go, but they go regardless, because Benvolio says that there will be much prettier girls than Rosaline at the party (because Romeo was in love with Rosaline). An example of this is:
‘But in that crystal scales let there be weighed
Your lady’s love against some other maid
That I will show you shining at this feast,
And she shall scant show well that now seems best.
The whole audience knows what is going on, but Peter does not. Which makes it ironic?
Every time Shakespeare makes a scene end with a concluding quatrain, they are almost always talking about love or feelings. He does this, because it makes the speech more poetic and romantic. It also gives off a romantic and poetic atmosphere to the audience.
Peter is the reason that Romeo and Benvolio went to the party, thus making Peter the reason Romeo and Juliet met. If Peter had not bumped into Romeo and Benvolio, then they would not have gone to the party and Romeo would still have been in love with Rosaline. So Peter bumping into Romeo and Benvolio could be seen as fate or destiny
When Romeo and Juliet meet and find out who each other are they arrange that they will marry the next day. Then Tybalt starts another fight between himself and the Montagues. This leads to Romeo’s banishment.
When Romeo and Juliet meet, there is a shared sonnet between them (Act 1 Scene 5, lines 92-105);
“If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,
My lips two blushing pilgrims’ ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss…”
We can tell that this is a sonnet because; it is a fourteen line poem with a rhyme scheme (concluding couplets), with a romantic theme and mood turn This makes the moment between them even more romantic and the audience are drawn in by the speech, as it is poetic and they are effectively finishing each other’s sentences. I would say that this sonnet achieves what a Shakespearean sonnet is supposed to which was to capture the romance of the scene.
As I said earlier, there is dramatic irony when Romeo and Juliet first meet. This is because, Paris is going to the party to meet Juliet, but before he finds her Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love instantly. They keep their love secret because of the rivalry between the two families and the affect it would create,
.When Romeo and Juliet meet there is a good technique of stagecraft used. This is because the Capulets would be sitting at a big table at the front of the party, and when Romeo and Juliet meet they would be around a corner so that the Capulets cannot see them but the audience can. Also on the balcony scene, there would have been another level (in the Elizabethan theatre). This would have been useful because Juliet would have been on this top level and Romeo would have been on the ground stage (to give the real effect).
This scene where Romeo and Juliet meet could be seen as fate and destiny. This is because, the way they meet as soon as Romeo gets into the party, the way they just fall in love straight away and the fact that Juliet went to the party to meet Paris and ended up meeting Romeo. It was as if it was meant to happen.
The last main point that affects the rest of the play greatly is Tybalt’s grudge against the Montagues. His antagonising and provocative behaviour in the opening scene of the play made us see that he was going to be a troublemaker the whole way through the play and through the play he proved right because it was he who started the fights through out, the Prince stops the fight and put his sentence on the two families. This leaves Tybalt with a lot of anger inside him which causes a lot of tension between the two families. From that point onwards Tybalt is continuously trying to start fights with the Montagues, for example at the party Tybalt notices that the Montagues are in the party. This makes him want to go and fight them, but Capulet stops him. This leaves even more anger and rage building inside of him, which means there is more and more, tension building between the two families and more and more potential for violence later on. Then Tybalt starts another fight between himself and the Montagues. In this fight Tybalt kills Mercutio and Romeo kills Tybalt. This leads to the banishment of Romeo, which, again leads to the deaths of the star-cross’d lovers”.
Whenever Tybalt speaks, Shakespeare uses blank verse. He does this because Tybalt is a mean character so he gives him a harsh and sharp type of speech:
‘What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word,
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.
Have at thee coward!’
This translated really meant Romeo you are a coward for not drawing your sword which in those time was a dire insult which could result in a dual. Shakespeare used blank verse to gives more effect to the tension building between the capulets and the Montagues.
As we progress through the play we notice the build up of dramatic tension Tybalt has with the Capulets. It goes up in stages and ends with a climax (Tybalt’s death).
Through out the play Shakespeare uses atmosphere suspense and mystery to interact with the audience this is mostly used in the fight scenes between tybalt and Romeo and also in the dramatic exits for example after mercutio is killed tybalt runs away, this is dramatic because before tybalt is seen as a ‘hard man, a warrior’ but he is then shown as coward because he did not stay to face judgement for his
Crime,
Also another dramatic entry was when Romeo found out that Juliet was dead and he came back to fair Verona which he had been exiled from before but as he got to the church where she lay he found out the princes men had seen h8m and where waiting outside the church for him but he never did leave because when he saw Juliet he sat beside his beloved and drank the poison he had bought before coming and that was the end of Romeo but as he died Juliet suddenly woke from he sleep but to her horror
He died next to her and she picked up his fallen sword and followed Romeo
To his death. is scene is probably the most tragic and the most dramatic of the play because the audience think they will live happily ever after but they didn’t because this was the most dramatic exit of the play.
I believe this scene effects the audience because it is a sad moment because the to young lovers went thought a lot to be together and the only way for them to be together was in the after life which is a said
thing because of there families feud there love was never meant to be this is why this is the scene the audience are most affected by the play also the at the end when the two families are outside the church grieving the prince suddenly says “come to this vault to die ,and lie with Juliet where to be there enemies ? Capulet, Montague see what a scourge is laid upon your hate. This quote says that because of the feud the two lovers took there live so they could be with each other but also at the end of the play the prince had one more thing to say.
“For never was a story of more whoe then this of Juliet and her Romeo”
