When Romeo talks to Juliet he incessantly compares and refers his love for her (Juliet) to religion and god. The reason behind his religious expressions is to convey a sense of chaste, perfection and commitment. In Romeos eyes Juliet is the perfect example of a goddess.
But while he is enchanted by Juliet’s beauty, he forgets about everything else including Juliet’s identity. In spite of being at the Capulet’s mansion, not even for a split second did Romeo consider that Juliet might be a Capulet. But it is not long after their first encounter when he discovers whom the girl he has fallen in love with really is.
“If I profane with my unworthiest hand … To smooth the rough touch with a gentle kiss.”
Romeo is simply shocked and devastated by this discovery.
“Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is to be my life’s debt”
When Romeo fell in love with Juliet he was too deeply engaged in her beauty to worry about who she was. But now that he has fallen in love with an enemy, the consequences are undoubtedly going to be deadly and painful.
There has been a grudge between the two households (Montague’s and Capulet’s) for as long as they can remember and the hatred between them is too deep to accept Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other. This will have a strong affect on the audience it signifies that Romeo and Juliet will never be accepted together (as a couple).
Juliet’s language is not as poetic as Romeo’s language.
“Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake.”
Juliet is initially shy and doesn’t directly express her love for Romeo. Before she expresses her feelings for Romeo, she teases him a little but eventually kisses him. She knows that Romeo is besotted by her beauty, so she doesn’t hesitate to tease him because she knows it won’t repel him from her.
Juliet also refers to god and religion, but her referrals are in such a manner that they seem as if she is saying it in response to Romeo’s religious expressions. This gives their conversation a smooth and engaging effect.
Juliet is as ignorant about Romeo’s identity as he (Romeo) is about her (Juliet’s). Juliet’s nurse tells Juliet who the boy she has fallen in love with is. Juliet’s tone while speaking to the nurse becomes desperate because she also wants to know whether he is married or not.
Although Juliet is as shocked as Romeo, she seems to take the news quite calmly. But what she says after she finds out (Romeo’s identity) says a lot about her feelings.
“…too early seen unknown and known too late…”
When Juliet first met Romeo she didn’t know that he was a Montague and she let her feelings flow and before she knew it, she was in love with Romeo. But now that she knows who Romeo is, she has realized that it’s too late to do anything about it.
When Juliet’s nurse asks her what she (Juliet) is talking about i.e. “my only love sprung from…. a loathed enemy”, Juliet says that it’s rhyme that she had learnt and a rhyme that she will have to live with forever.
This proves that she knows she has made a mistake and she knows the consequences are going to be deadly. But in spite of this she can’t change her feelings because she is too deeply in love with Romeo.
In verses before this, Juliet says that: “if he be married then my grave is to be my wedding bed”
This says that she doesn’t want to get married to anyone but Romeo. This forebodes that Juliet will refuse to get married to Paris. The Capulet’s will obviously not accept her refusal and force her to get married to Paris. This dispute will definitely lead to a disaster because we know how deeply Juliet has fallen in love with Romeo and she has no intensions of changing her feelings for Romeo or either forgetting about him.
Tybalt is a Capulet and Juliet’s cousin. Tybalt is extremely short-tempered, aggressive and violent.
When Tybalt hears Romeo admiring Juliet’s beauty he becomes exceedingly furious. He is disgusted to hear the voice of a Montague at a Capulet’s party.
“This by his voice should be a Montague…what dares the slave come hither, cov’rd with an antic face”
He is incensed by the fact that a Montague took advantage of the feast being a masquerade. But just when Tybalt is ready to “strike Romeo dead”, Lord Capulet overhears him and strictly orders him to leave Romeo alone. Tybalt reluctantly leaves Romeo alone but Tybalt’s last lines, shows us how he really feels.
“…now seeming sweet shall convert to bitterest gall.”
Tybalt here implies that they have made a huge mistake by letting Romoe go without being punished, but this is not the end and definitely not their last meeting. He says that although this intrusion seems to have no bad intensions, it will ultimately prove that they made a mistake by letting Romeo slip by.
Tybalt’s character and antagonistic attitude towards Romeo’s intrusion shows us that he is definitely not happy and he will not leave Romeo alone and he will make sure that Romeo gets the punishment he thinks Romeo deserves. Tybalt will definitely make Romeo pay.
All of Tybalt’s actions and intensions signify that disaster and catastrophe are imminent.
Lord Capulet is Juliet’s father and Tybalt’s uncle. He enters the scene greeting everyone (the Guests). He gives a very enlightening speech and then has a short conversation with his cousin. From all that I have stated above I can say that Lord Capulet is a very calm, generous and down to earth person.
A very important moment in this play is when Tybalt recognizes Romeo’s voice, but Lord Capulet orders him to leave Romeo alone. I have mentioned this scene earlier on, but I would like to elaborate it.
When Lord Capulet initially tells Tybalt to leave Romeo alone, Tybalt tries to convince his uncle that Romeo is a Montague; their eternal enemy and that he shouldn’t be at the party. But Capulet still insisted that Romeo should be left alone because he (Lord Capulet) didn’t want to create a scene at the feast. Furthermore he also said that he had heard a lot of good things about Romeo, so he (Tybalt) should therefore leave Romeo alone.
“let him alone…
And to say truth, Verona brags of him”
Tybalt adamantly tried to convince Capulet that Romeo shouldn’t be at the party but this started to annoy Capulet and he irratibly told Tybalt to leave Tybalt alone. It was Capulets irritation and fury that made Tybalt leave Romeo alone.
But Lord Capulet would have never imagined that his very own daughter would fall in love with the boy he was praising.
Lord Capulet will later go onto regret this moment for the rest of his life because he had the chance to stop Juliet from meeting Romeo. But unfortunately for Capulet he took the wrong decision not knowing what the future had in store for him and his daughter.
All the major actions taken by Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt and Lord Capulet have a strong affect in the rest of the play. All their actions foreshadow disaster, catastrophe and tragedy. The consequences suffered by each person will be fatal.
