This scene also sets up the chain of events that Tybalt and Romeo will fight, and maybe we can assume that from Romeo’s success at the party with Juliet, that his luck will probably hold out and he will win the fight against Tybalt, which he later does.
This scene is also so important because it contains a monologue and the monologue contains religious imagery. This would have been so vital for an Elizabethan audience to know because a monologue tells them what will pretty much happen, and adding religious imagery adds fate and mystery to it, and adds lots of tension to the scene, so it informs the audience, but doesn’t give away too much.
Romeo and Juliet’s kiss sets up the play for their tragic suicides at the end of the play and it seems that every step of love they reach a tragic event happens to match it, e.g. Tybalts death, Mercutio’s death, Romeo banned from Verona and consequently the ‘star crossed lovers’ suicide over false news.
Love seems to balance out hate in this play and the language of love is written in sonnet form, Shakespeare’s speech does form perfect sonnets for Romeo’s lines to Juliet and also in Romeo’s monologue. Sonnets meant to an Elizabethan audience that this couple are perfect and fate will keep them together because speaking in sonnets indicates that the two ‘star crossed lovers’ are ideal for each other, and destiny makes them fall in love instantly.
Romeo compares his presence and himself to Religious imagery, through use of sonnets and metaphors.
‘My lips, two blushing pilgrims,’ this indicates that Romeo wants to start a ‘pilgrimage’ or journey of love with Juliet and the ‘blushing pilgrims’ symbolise his initial embarrassment of kissing her with passion and his actual lips as well.
Hate, I think, triggers the events of love even though the two emotions are equal throughout the play. One way in which Shakespeare puts emphasis on hate is by using sibilance in ‘evil’ characters speech like Tybalts lines, ‘Why uncle, ‘tis a shame,’ when he is talking to Capulet about ‘that villain, Romeo and his intrusion to the party, the audience can put Tybalts hate of Monatgue’s and Romeo’s fatal flaw, hot headedness together and they can instantly gather that they will fight and death will most probably be involved, I think this because I think Shakespeare tried to prove in this tragedy that death is stronger than both love and hate, it is inevitable.
Hate is related to tragedy and as the play itself is a tragedy it is apparent that hate will naturally play a big role in the plot, and so will love, it being the counter force of hate. The Elizabethan audience would expect a sad ending in this and not a modern happy, ‘Hollywood’ ending.
I think there is a contrast in this scene, it is when Tybalt is talking to Capulet about Romeo’s intrusion, I think Tybalt would hated Capulet for not letting him ‘deal’ with Romeo there and then, but also he would of loved him as a family member, I think Tybalt’s hate is just from the character he is, and isn’t really caused from Capulet squabbling with him. This also shows the contrast of age between the two family’s generations, and really, Shakespeare puts forward the idea that the older you get, the wiser you become , hence Capulets ‘wise’ decision to not let Tybalt cause upset in front of his guests, and thus, not put the shame of a outbreak of violence on his family for a relatively minor incident.
In conclusion I think Shakespeare brought the themes of love and hate together very well and added depth and an original twist to the tragedy love story plot. Also I think that this play will not go out of fashion in today’s modern world, because it is about two emotions that are just as real today as they were then and that tragedies like this can happen in everyday situations, so I think the play is timeless because it appeals to everyone’s life in one way or another.
