Was Shakespeare a good dramatist?
Was Shakespeare a good dramatist?
There are a lot of similarities involved with all plays, they tend to concentrate on the problems and actualities of everyday living, when external factors may be unpredictable. Shakespeare had many problems to conquer when he wrote his plays, and one major one, was the fact that many, many playwrights can and could write dramas that follow the same patterns and feature the problems of everyday life. So there had to be something special about Shakespeare's plays, that set him aside from other playwrights. The utmost important factor that affected Shakespeare's popularity was that his plays presented a fuller, more complex sense of the nature of experience than all other writers. He does this by cleverly using the language that he uses; his writing is so full of meaning every word is used with emotion. This is generally the reason why Shakespeare is so hard to understand, for in every speech, he is not just making the actors speak, he is making them matter. With every speech comes a problem or revelation, this makes the plays difficult to comprehend, for they always raise more issues than any single reader can ever fully understand. Shakespeare's plays all tackle issues of life, that at one point have had to be faced by someone, or are everyday problems that can occur on any occasion, to anyone.
The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, is a very good example of the structure of a dramatist's play. We see that in general dramatist's plays fall into certain stages. The first stage is where we are introduced to the characters, and there is a slight mystery about these characters, because for now, we know little of them. However, very soon, perhaps as soon as the first scene, we are presented with the central theme, the problem then slowly unfolds. The play becomes even more elaborate at this stage, as the characters face the seemingly difficult dilemmas of the plot. We can see this pattern reflecting in Romeo and Juliet, where first we are introduced to the two families - the Capulets and the Montagues. Arguments commence sporadically between the two families, but nothing of apparent importance. It is understood at this point that the two families are rivals. However it is at this point that Romeo (a Montague) and Juliet (a Capulet) meet for the first time, and fall in love with each other. It is apparent that a very serious problem has arisen at this point. Shakespeare is playing with the characters' emotions, and extremely cleverly and knowledgeably interprets what Romeo and Juliet would have been feeling.
This takes us to the next stage of a dramatists' play, the resolution stage; this is the scenes of the play in which everything is resolved, there are no rules to this and the matter can be resolved in whichever way the playwright feels appropriate. In Romeo and Juliet, we find the death of the two characters the only way that Shakespeare can make the ending effective and to show just how much Romeo and Juliet felt for each other, and how it was true love. Within this essay I shall endeavor to pinpoint these stages in Romeo and Juliet to the best effect so that I can see what factors of this play make Shakespeare such a good dramatist.
Shakespeare had to face many problems when he was writing his plays, he had to attract the majority of the population with his works, and therefore had to write his plays to suit everyone. His plays were written in a very complicated language, which meant that even though the richer, slightly more upper-class ladies and gentlemen would have been able to understand the language that he used in his plays, many, many of the poorer and uneducated viewers who would also come and see his plays could not understand the dialogue used. He, of course, had the job also of keeping his audience interested in the play. I feel that one of the ways in which he did this, was by adding various lines of humour, and so that the audience was listening out for jokes and clever use of language that were included in the script.
Shakespeare first sets the scene in act 1, scene 1. The stage directions that he uses are not as accurate as the stage directions that are used today in modern plays. Although he has written clear instructions, they are not detailed, which shows us that he very much wanted the actors to feel the part, and let them move around the stage where they felt appropriate; instead of being told where to stand. Shakespeare uses his stage directions only where they are really necessary, describing the type of place the characters are at that moment in time. (In the first scene he tells us that Sampson and Gregory should be in a public place.) The instructions are very vague, but not so vague that we do not understand what he wants to get out of this play.
The introduction is included in this same scene, Act 1, Scene 1. Sampson and Gregory who are Montagues, converse with each other, boasting over what they would do if they saw a Capulet at that moment.
'On my word we'll not carry coals' This is Sampson speaking, by saying 'carrying coals' he means that they will not be insulted, Gregory replies to this by saying
'No, for then we would be colliers' Gregory is joking with Sampson, because colliers, literally means coal carriers.
'I mean, and we be in choler, we'll draw' choler means anger, so Sampson is saying that if they are angry, they will draw their swords. The talk between the two Capulets goes on for some time, with Gregory always slightly belittling Sampson, but not so much ...
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'On my word we'll not carry coals' This is Sampson speaking, by saying 'carrying coals' he means that they will not be insulted, Gregory replies to this by saying
'No, for then we would be colliers' Gregory is joking with Sampson, because colliers, literally means coal carriers.
'I mean, and we be in choler, we'll draw' choler means anger, so Sampson is saying that if they are angry, they will draw their swords. The talk between the two Capulets goes on for some time, with Gregory always slightly belittling Sampson, but not so much that they get angry with each other.
Shortly, two men of the house of Montague enter the scene. Sampson realises that he has been boasting and now he does know what to do, for he really does not want to start a fight with the Montagues, for he is afraid. Sampson tells Gregory to quarrel with the Montagues, and tells Gregory that he will back him up,
'My naked weapon is out. Quarrel. I will back thee.' Gregory, who is also a little afraid replies,
'How! Turn thy back and run?' Gregory knows Sampson to well to trust him to support him if they argue, and so Gregory gave that witty retort, he meant that if he quarrelled with the Montagues, Sampson would not back him up, but turn around and run away. Gregory tells Sampson that he will not quarrel with them, but frown at them as they go by, Sampson tells Gregory that he will bite his thumb at them, which means that he will make a rude gesture towards them. Sampson adds,
'...Which is a disgrace to them if they bear it' which translates as ' which is a disgrace to them if they tolerate it.' However, Abram and Balthasar who are the two Montagues do not tolerate it, Abram says to Sampson,
' Do you bite your thumb at us sir?' Sampson replies, 'I do bite my thumb sir' Abram repeats,
'Do you bite your thumb at us sir?' Sampson whispers then to Gregory,
'Is the law on our side if I say 'ay''? Gregory whispers back to Sampson, 'No' the quarrel goes on, until Benvolio, who is a relative of the head of the house of Capulet, enters and shouts;
'part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do.' He beats down the swords of the four men. However, it is at that point when a relative of the head of the house of Montague arrives, Tybalt. Tybalt is Juliet's cousin, and he is aggressive, and always looking to start fights - especially with the Montagues. Benvolio, is more a peacekeeper, he wishes for everyone to get along with each other, he is passive. Tybalt says to Benvolio,
'What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death.' Tybalt is saying 'What, is your sword drawn among these servants who lack courage?' Tybalt wants to fight with Benvolio, but Benvolio replies,
'I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword, or manage it to part these men with me.' Benvolio asks Tybalt to help him separate the two men, but Tybalt does not want peace, he wants war.
'What! Drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward!' Citizens then join the scene with weapons and shout for whichever house they belong to and soon the fighting starts.
The head of the house of Capulet enters at this point, and wishes to join in with all the fighting, however his wife lady Capulet, reminds him that he is not as young as he once was. The Lady Capulet tells him that he is to old for fighting, in such a way that tells us that the marriage is not exactly a perfectly happy one. It also tells us that Lady Capulet is considerably younger than Capulet himself, and that she can stand up for herself. This is the first mention of any feminism within the play.
We then hear Lady Montague telling Montague that she doesn't want him to fight. However, the way in which she says this suggests that they have a better relationship than the Capulets, for lady Montague does not want him to fight because she fears for his life, not because he is too old. Within these lines is a lot of humour, which helped to keep people interested in the play.
The prince now enters and speaks to all involved in the scene. He tells them that he is very angry with them, he tells them that they should learn to get along, and keep the peace with each other. He tells Benvolio and Tybalt that if they ever cause trouble again, they will be put to death. Montague then, speaking to his nephew (Benvolio) asks who started the fight, to which Benvolio replies;
'Here were the servants of your adversary and yours, close fighting ere did I approach. I drew to part them; in the instant came the fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepar'd, which, as he breath'd defiance to my ears, he swung about his head and cut the winds, who, nothing hurt withal hiss'd him in scorn. While we were interchanging thrusts and blows, came more and more, and fought on part and part, till the prince came, who parted either part.' This is a long explanation from Benvolio, an account of what happened to start the fight between the two houses in the first place. What Benvolio was saying in his speech, is that he found the Montagues servants fighting hand to hand with the Capulets servants he drew his sword in order to part the two fighting parties. However suddenly Tybalt approached, and Tybalt having a fiery attitude toward everything, started a fight with Benvolio. Then some on one side, some on the other townspeople and passers-by joined in the fight until the prince came, and separated both Montague and Capulet fighters.
Lady Montague quickly changes the subject at this point, and asks Benvolio if he knows where her son, Romeo is. She asks if Benvolio has seen him today, and she tells him how glad she is that he was not involved in the fight. Benvolio tells Lady Montague;
'an hour before the worshipp'd sun, peered forth the golden window of the east, a troubled mind drove me to walk abroad where underneath the grove of the sycamore (that westward rooteth from this city side) so early walking did I see your son.' By this he means an hour before the sun looked out from the window of the east, he, having a mind full of troubles took a walk out of doors, where underneath a sycamore tree he found Romeo. He continues;
'Towards him I made, but he was ware of me, and stole into the covert of the wood.' What Benvolio is saying, is that he went towards Romeo, but Romeo was aware that Benvolio was standing there, so he ran away into the shelter of the woods. Lady Montague replies to Benvolio's speech with the following words; 'Many a morning hath he there been seen, with tears augmenting the fresh morning dew adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs; but all so soon as the all-cheering sun should in the farthest east begin to draw the shady curtains from Aurora's bed, away from light steals home my heavy son, and private in his chamber pens himself, shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, and makes himself an artificial night. Black and Portentous must this humour prove unless good council may the cause remove'. This is a long speech made by Lady Montague, regarding her son. She feels that he is edging day by day more away from life. This is a long speech that must be quoted in full to give the full effect of it, it is an example of the issues that everyday people go through, that I wrote of during the introduction. What Lady Montague was telling Benvolio, was that most mornings he has been seen there, with tears to add to the morning dew, however as soon as the sun showed, he leaves for his own bedroom, and shuts himself in there. Benvolio and Montague, exchange words with each other, to find out if either of them know the cause of Romeo's sadness. Benvolio enquires whether Montague has asked Romeo of his troubles - Montague replies that
'Both he and many other friends' had tried to find out the problem, but Romeo would not tell of his plight.
Suddenly Romeo enters, and Benvolio quickly tells Romeo's parents to leave, and let Benvolio find out what's wrong with him. Benvolio greets Romeo with the words; 'Good morrow cousin' To which Romeo replies,
'Is the day so young?' This shows us that Romeo does not pay attention to anything but his trouble, because he is not aware of whether it is day or night.
'What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?' This is a question asked by Benvolio to Romeo, he is trying to find out what is upsetting his cousin so badly. Romeo replies to Benvolio;
'Not having that which, having, makes them short.' Benvolio;
'in love?' Romeo;
'out.' Benvolio;
'of love?' Romeo,
'out of her favour where I am in love.' This is a short sentenced conversation between two cousins, in which Romeo tells of his problem, and that is to love someone who does not return that love. Romeo has not yet mentioned his 'true love's' name, and although the two converse for some time, still, Romeo mentions no name. Romeo now lets his emotions run wild as he explains everything in his speech addressed to Benvolio. During his speech, he mentions hate, in the line,
'here's much to do with hate, but more with love;' The hate that Romeo speaks of, is the hate between the Montagues and the Capulets, and the love he mentions, is the love between him and his 'true love'. Benvolio says little to Romeo, and so Romeo continues with a new speech, in which he tells Benvolio how it is true love for sure. After which Romeo says to Benvolio,
'Farewell my coz' (coz is the word Shakespeare used to refer to cousin) Benvolio tells Romeo that if he leaves him, then he will be doing him wrong. Soon after Benvolio enquires who Romeo's love is, a question which Romeo does not want to answer, they speak of love and all things about it, and still Benvolio wishes to know who Romeo's supposed love is. However, Benvolio fails, and they both exit the scene.
During scene 2, we find ourselves already in stage 2, the problem stage, where Romeo loves another, who does not love him, but worse is to come for Romeo, as we shall soon find out. The last scene was very much concentrated on the Montagues, this scene is the direct opposite when we find ourselves with the Capulets. The scene starts with Capulet and Paris talking, Paris wishes to ask Capulet if he may try to win the heart of Capulet's daughter, Juliet. Capulet tells Paris, that Montague is as obliged to keep the peace as much as him, with the same penalty for disobedience and that it is not hard, for men so old as him and Montague to keep the peace. Paris answers that they both have a good reputation and are both of good age, and that it is a shame that they have quarreled for so long. He then changes the subject and asks Capulet what he thinks of his offer. We do not yet know anything of this offer, but within Capulets next speech, it is clear what Paris has asked. Capulet replies, saying, over what he has already said, his child is still new to the world, she is not yet fourteen. Capulet asks Paris if he will wait two summers until she is older, and then she will be ready to be a bride. To this, Paris replies,
'younger than she are happy mothers made' he means that younger girls than her already have children.
To this Capulet makes a long speech with a great deal of fathers worry and general emotions included into it. He uses an old proverb in his speech, he says,
'and too soon marr'd are those so early made', which means 'soon married, soon marr'd' and marr'd means spoiled. Juliet is Capulets only hope, he explains, as all his other children are dead and buried. She stands to inherit the Capulets estate. But then, he tells Paris, that it should be Juliet's choice, and not his own, and if she agrees, then he agrees.
Although the next part of the scene involves Romeo and Benvolio, it is not taken away from the subject of the Capulets, for a servant who is standing nearby the two men, invites them to an open house Capulet party that night. It is at this point in the play that we find out that Rosaline is the name of Romeo's love, and that she is a Capulet. Benvolio tells Romeo that at the same party will be Rosaline and
'all the admired beauties of Verona'. Benvolio tells Romeo that he should go, and compare her face with that of someone that Benvolio knows, and to quote him,
'will make thee think thy swan a crow.' Romeo refuses to believe that anyone could match Rosaline's beauty. Benvolio argues that there is such a lady, Romeo agrees to go, but not to see other ladies, but to see Rosaline.
Scene 3 is set in Capulets house, so again, we are concentrating on the Capulet Family. At the start of the scene we see, the nurse, the mother and the daughter. As soon as we know that these are the people who we are concentrating on, certain stereotyped ideas, and it could be that this was they way that women were portrayed, as the mothers, the daughters or the servants, all of these serve the needs of men. The dialogue in the following scene, is all to do with marriage and love. It starts with Lady Capulet trying to present the fact to her daughter that she is growing up, and that County Paris wants her for his wife. The nurse clearly adores Juliet, as she talks non-stop of Juliet and things that have happened in the past. The intended marriage of Juliet to County Paris is a matter of what her parents want to arrange as a pose to a marriage for love. Juliet's mother - Lady Montague, tries to influence Juliet's opinion of County Paris, and tries to get her to marry him, by telling her that many, many girls are happily married with children, and that she herself was married by the time she was Juliet's age. She is persuading Juliet that marriage is the best thing for her and that Juliet would do well to follow in her mother's footsteps. During this scene Juliet is rather subdued, and she obviously has not been as persuaded by her mother, as Lady Montague would have liked. The nurses role in this, is to intervene every now and then into the conversation, and she seems to make fun of County Paris and the fact that he wants to marry Juliet, and makes him seem a little absurd. Juliet ends the conversation with her mother, by saying,
'I'll look to like, if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye than your constant give me strength to make it fly. Juliet means that she will look at him with the intention of liking him, if looking at Paris makes her like him, but she will go no farther than her mother allows.
Scene 4, During this scene, Romeo meets with his friends, to go to the party at the Capulets house. The main three characters are Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio. This is the first time that we meet Mercutio, and he patently has a strong point of view on matters of the heart. Romeo is not in a good mood as his friends are, and Mercutio, tries to cheer him up by making him dance, but Romeo does not want to dance, for he thinks too much of his love for Rosaline. There is a great deal of humour in this scene. Mercutio believes that Romeo has a naive idea of love, and that he is a foolish man. Mercutio gets worked up over nothing in particular, and we see that perhaps he has troubles of his own. Romeo calms down Mercutio, and seems quite worried about him, and says,
'Peace, peace Mercutio, peace! Thou talk'st of nothing.' Mercutio calms down and tells Romeo that he is right, and that he talks of dreams, which are no-good. Romeo in a way prophesizes his future events, for he says,
'Some consequence yet hanging in the stars, shall bitterly begin this fearful date with this night's revels, and expire the term of a despised life clos'd in my breast by some vile forfeit of untimely death. But he that hath the steerage of my course Direct my sail! On, lusty gentlemen.' Romeo has sensed that something is going to happen, in his speech he tells us that something is going to happen that is not yet revealed.
Scene 5 is again set in Capulets house. We are now at the party, and Romeo is about to enter. During this scene, the problem that has been Rosaline ceases, however, a newer, much bigger problem arises. Servants are running around doing everything to make the party a good one. They are doing all the hard work for the Capulets. Capulet enters, and makes his entry known by playing the perfect host and welcoming all that set foot inside his house. There is a great deal more humour in this scene, some of which is used, when he accuses (jokingly) the ladies who will not dance have corns, and that is the reason they are not dancing with him. Soon Romeo appears, and straight away spots Juliet. He cannot believe his eyes, and believes that it is love at first sight, and Rosaline is forgotten.
'O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, as rich a jewel in an Ethiop's ear:' This that she is as pretty as a jewel in a black mans ear.
'Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!' He thinks that her beauty is too good for everyday use, and for this earth, her beauty is too valuable.
'So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,' He Is going to watch her where she stands.
'And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.' He wants to go and touch her hand with his rough hand.
'Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night' He is remembering Rosaline, and realising that he never really loved her, but lusted after her, and that he has never loved until that moment. Those are very romantic lines spoken by Romeo, and it is the first point in the story, where Romeo finally meets his true love. However, the moment is ruined, because we quickly switch on to the irate Tybalt, who has spotted Romeo and wishes to fight with him. While Tybalt is cursing and complaining about Romeo, his uncle, Capulet joins Tybalt, because he has heard him complaining, he asks why he is angry, Tybalt tells him that there are Montagues among them, he names Romeo. Capulet does not react to hearing this in the way that Tybalt had hoped and expected, in fact, quite the opposite. He tells Tybalt to leave Romeo alone, for he is the son of the Montagues, and is spoken very highly of. Tybalt tells his uncle that he cannot stand him, and that he can't endure him. Capulet insists that he is endured, and when Tybalt refuses yet again, Capulet is angry with Tybalt for being so brazen.
Romeo now makes his first move on Juliet at his first opportunity. He talks to her eagerly, at first Juliet resists, but Juliet sees that she loves him to, and does not want to resist, and the conversation ends with Romeo asking for a kiss, and then Juliet accepting. From the words that Juliet uses, you can tell that the emotion is real, what is being said between these people is real emotion. The couple leaves each other when Juliet is called to by her mother. Romeo asks the nurse who called Juliet, when Juliet has gone, who her mother is. She tells him that she is the daughter of the Lady Capulet. Romeo has realised that he is now faced with a bigger problem than when he thought he loved Rosaline. He simply says,
'O dear account! My life is my foe's debt.'
Juliet asks her nurse to find out who the man she was talking with (Romeo) is, the nurse tells her that it is Romeo, the only son of the Montagues. Juliet is stricken, the pain in the words when they both find out who one-another are, is so emotional and realistic, that it upsets people who read. Juliet says,
'My only love, sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is too me, that I must love a loathed enemy.
Now that act 1 has been explained, we can see all the mixed up emotions felt by all the different actors who had there own opinions, as well as there own troubles. Romeo and Juliet the play, is a complicated web of feelings, where we know that nothing can come of but sadness, and hurt. Shakespeare was a very good dramatist, he was set apart from all other dramatists, by his sense of style, and the way he expressed the emotions of the characters perfectly with just the right words.