Romeo comes to the party to see Rosaline, who he believes he is in love with but soon sees Juliet and forgets Rosaline entirely, he is overcome and spellbound by her beauty,
“O she doth teach torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night”
This is a metaphor used to say that she stands out from the crowd Juliet meets Romeo and falls just as deeply in love. He goes on to use more rhyming couplet metaphors in the same way,
“As a rich jewel in an ethiop’s ear –
Beauty to rich for use, for earth to dear”
Tybalt seems frustrated that an arch rival has intruded on his family’s party. In this part Tybalt was the personification of hatred between the Capulet and Montague’s. Lord Capulet doesn’t seem to care about the presence of a Montague at his party. He does not want the young Montague disparaged. In fact, Capulet even praises Romeo.
“And to say the truth, Verona brags of him to be a virtuous and well-governed youth.”
From Capulet’s comment we can see that Romeo has never been in any disputes with the Capulet. An interesting point is that this is not the behaviour of a man determined to bring down another family. Capulet appears reasonable, sociable and benevolent, but this may still be because of the princes warning. The dramatic importance of this part is that after a romantic part, tensions start rising. Tybalt anger doubles when he is made to look silly by Capulet, who tells him off, and calls him a “saucy boy”.
Romeo and Juliet’s meeting is the most dramatic point in Act 1 scene 5, as they still don’t know who each other are and having a relationship which is opposed by the social structure of their family, makes it more interesting for the audience.
Their first meeting is handled most unusually, they share a sonnet. It has a beauty and formality which perfectly captures the awkwardness yet irresistibility of the moment.
Dressed as a pilgrim to the holy land, Romeo addresses Juliet in character, pretending that he has just come upon a most holy shrine. They exchange pleasantries and Juliet is equally smitten with the handsome Romeo grants him a kiss. In this part Shakespeare uses religious imagery to foster romance between Romeo and Juliet. The religious imagery of their conversation clearly implies that their love can only be described through the vocabulary of religion, in this way their love become associated with the purity and passion of the divine. But there is another side to it, by using religious imagery Romeo and Juliet tiptoe on the edge of blasphemy which was completely unacceptable at the time. Romeo compares Juliet to an image of a saint that should be worshiped, a role that Juliet is willing to play. Romeo’s statement about Juliet borders on the heretical. Shakespeare wanted to show that Romeo’s love for Juliet is more realistic than his love for Rosaline.
I don’t think that it’s believable that they can fall in love so quickly at this stage. Juliet comments that Romeo “kiss by Th`book” that he kisses as if he has learned how to kiss from a manual. Juliet is clearly smitten with Romeo but it is possible to see her as the more incisive of the two, and as nudging Romeo to a more genuine level of love through her observation of his tendency to get caught up in the forms of love rather than love itself.
The final part of the scene is when Romeo and Juliet find out about each others name. As Juliet is promptly called away by her mother, “your mother craves a word with you” Romeo learns from the nurse that she is the daughter of his father’s enemy, Capulet. Deeply troubled by this knowledge, Romeo exits the party with Benvolio and other guests. Romeo’s brave attempt may have been stopped by one thing, the family name. Juliet on the other hand does not hesitate to expose her feeling even though Romeo is a Montague.
“My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me that I must love a loathed enemy”
Unlike Romeo, who has recently been infatuated with Rosaline, Juliet professes only one love. She is certain in her declaration. This is a clear departure from her attitude about Paris (the man she was arranged to marry) and her discussion of marriage with her mother.
The importance of this scene is put on the meeting of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, two lovers from feuding families, who want to see the end of each other. They were brought up to hate each other but instead they fell, in love. Could their love be tolerated by their families or even the society? No. and the two “Star-crossed” lovers knew the answer. But it was too late and nothing could have been done. This is what makes this scene so important in the play and also exciting for the audience. They are anxious to find out what happens next. Would their love end in triumph and jubilance or in catastrophe and tragedy?
We, the audience, don’t know yet, but it is obvious that their love is going to commence a new era between their families.
As there is so much hate there is an atmosphere of danger but because there is poetic romance as well the atmosphere of romance is created, this makes the play very tense. And enjoyable to the audience
End
