'To what extent does act one of 'Romeo and Juliet' influence the events in the rest of the play and the tragic demise of the star-crossed lovers.
'Romeo and Juliet GCSE Coursework Essay'
'To what extent does act one of 'Romeo and Juliet' influence the events in the rest of the play and the tragic demise of the star-crossed lovers.
'Romeo and Juliet' is an example of a Shakespearean tragedy, which is the polar opposite of a comedy (This means its totally different in every way). In other words, it is a drama with an unhappy ending. The play was also intended for the Elizabethan theatre, which was arranged in a different way to our theatres nowadays. The stage used to be set out with three different levels, which was perfect for some of the scenes in Romeo and Juliet (e.g. the balcony scene) and there were different areas for the audience to watch the production. There were seats for the more wealthy people and there was a pit for the peasants. Having both the wealthy and the peasants watching the show was good for the performance, because the peasants used to heckle at the actors along with the rich people and they both used to get involved in the play. Shakespeare's plays were written for everyone that wanted to watch them. His plays were not just written for the wealthy. Also the actors were just normal people. The actors were not famous; they had just learnt the lines and put on a performance. 'Romeo and Juliet' is a play not a book, it is meant to be performed not read. Many people refer to it as a book but it's not, it's a play.
In act 1 there are a lot events that dramatically effect the rest of the play dramatically. Some of these events are: The Prince's sentence is passed on the two families after another fight in Verona, Juliet's rejection of Paris and the Capulet's promise that he would not force her to marry him, Peter wrongly informs and invites Romeo, Benvolio and the other Montagues to the mask ball, Romeo and Juliet meet and find out who each other are, Tybalt's grudge and anger with the Montagues.
Each one of these events in one way or another link to the death of the "star-crossed lovers" (for example Peter's invitation of the Montagues, lead to, Romeo and Juliet meeting, which leads to, them marrying, which leads to, Romeo being banished, which leads to Romeo and Juliet dying.) Each one of these events joins with one another and this is what I will be talking about in this essay.
Before the play commences, an actor comes onto the stage and reads the prologue. The prologue is similar to a blurb on the back of a book. We find out the entire events of the play through it. The prologue is a typical Shakespearean sonnet as it is only fourteen lines. It consists of three quatrains and it ends in a concluding couplet. The prologue tells us the main points of the play and it shows us the different moods put across in the play e.g. "star-crossed lover" and then "death marked love". This shows how the mood changes in the play, by changing the mood in the prologue.
The first of the main events in Act One is the Prince's sentence that is passed onto the two families. This leads to a chain of events, which eventually leads to Romeo and Juliet's death. Once the Prince's sentence was set upon the Montagues and the Capulets, there was at once a sense of dramatic tension set up. This is because Tybalt has so much hate for the Montagues and he is just about to let his rage out, when the Prince comes to stop them. This leaves the hate building and building inside Tybalt and eventually its ...
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The first of the main events in Act One is the Prince's sentence that is passed onto the two families. This leads to a chain of events, which eventually leads to Romeo and Juliet's death. Once the Prince's sentence was set upon the Montagues and the Capulets, there was at once a sense of dramatic tension set up. This is because Tybalt has so much hate for the Montagues and he is just about to let his rage out, when the Prince comes to stop them. This leaves the hate building and building inside Tybalt and eventually its going to come out and there is going to be another fight, which there is. This is because of Tybalt's obsessive hatred of the Montagues and his aggressive nature. ("Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this-thou art a villain"). After they fight again and Tybalt and Mercutio end up dead. This then leads to Romeo's banishment, which leads to the death of the "star-crossed lovers".
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. 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. Which 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 is Juliet's rejection of Paris and Capulets promise that he would not force her to marry him:
'I'll look to like, if looking liking move.
But no more deep will I endart mine eye
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.'
This again, (like my previous point) leads to the death of the "star-crossed lovers". Juliet rejects Paris' proposal and says that she will meet him at the party first. However before she meets Paris at the party she meets Romeo and instantly falls in love with him (so thoughts of marrying Paris are gone out of her head). From this Romeo and Juliet marry, then Tybalt and the Montagues have another fight. Then Romeo is banished, Which then leads to the suicides of Romeo and Juliet.
The next main event in the play of Romeo and Juliet is when Peter wrongly informs Romeo, Benvolio and the other Montagues about the mask ball. Like the other two events, this event also leads to a chain 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. Then Tybalt starts another fight between him and the Montagues. This then leads to Romeo's banishment, which then leads to the death of Romeo and Juliet.
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, (because they are the Capulets enemies) but Peter does not. 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. When Romeo and Benvolio are talking to Peter, Shakespeare uses blank verse and iambic pentameter:
"Now I'll tell you without asking. My master is
The great rich Capulet; and if you be not of the
House of Montagues, I pray come and crush a
cup of wine. Rest merry."
He does this because it builds up an atmosphere on the stage, almost a poetic one.
As soon as Peter leaves Romeo and Benvolio converse with a concluding couplet:
"When the devout religion of mine eye
Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fires,
And these who often drowned could never die,
Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars."
Every time Shakespeare makes a scene end with a concluding quatrain, they are almost always talking about love or feelings. He does this, because ending in a concluding quatrain makes the speech more poetic and romantic. It also gives off a romantic and poetic atmosphere to the audience.
Even though Peter only had a very small part in the play, he could be seen as one of the main characters as he had a massive effect on the outcome of the rest of the play. 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 (which is the theme of the play), because he is a cultural reason for the outcome of the rest of the play.
The next event that happens in the play is when Romeo and Juliet meet and find out who each other are. This is by far the main event in the play, which spawns to other events. Again, like the other events this one which spawns to more on-going events. 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 and then to the death of the "star-crossed lovers".
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, and a turn or change in the middle of the poem. 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.
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 and "woo" her, but before he finds her Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love instantly. They keep their love secret, so Paris does not know and he now thinks that Juliet still likes him. 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 I will talk about) that effects 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. At the beginning of the play, the Prince stops the fight and put his sentence on the two families. This leaves Tybalt with a lot of anger inside him and leaves 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!'
If this were not done Tybalt would not be made out to be so mean and angry. Using blank verse also gives more effect of the tension building between him 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).
So in conclusion I would say that it can be said that the events in Act One, influence the rest of the play and the death of the "star-crossed lovers", enormously. This is because if the main events that I have analysed previously did not happen, then the rest of the play would not have turned out how it did. Each event leads (in one way or another) to the death of the "star-crossed lovers" and therefore influences the rest of the on-going events throughout the play.