Explore How effective Shakespeare’s use of Contrast is in Act 1 Scene 5.

Explore How effective Shakespeare’s use of Contrast is in Act 1 Scene 5

Act 1 Scene 5 is a particularly dramatic scene where Romeo sees Juliet for the first time and falls helplessly in love with her, at the Capulet’s ball where he sneaks in disguised.

Much of the drama in this scene comes from the ever-changing moods of the characters. At the beginning of the scene there are servants franticly running around trying to get the evening organised, and tempers are fraying dramatically. A bit further on in the scene Romeo and Juliet meet for the first and they experience a passionate kiss.

Then Capulet and his cousin welcome everyone into his home. Then there is a moment when Romeo first sees Juliet and he cannot take his eyes off her. After this Tybalt immediately spies that Romeo is in fact a Montague, Tybalt then has an argument with Capulet over the situation. In contrast from the anger of Tybalt, Romeo and Juliet appear to be in love and cannot keep their hands off eachother. At the end of the scene Juliet finds out from the nurse that Romeo is a Montague and that they are enemies with the Capulet’s. But Juliet doesn’t seem to care she loves Romeo despite what she has just been told by her nurse.

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In the scene the changing moods contrast with eachother. Shakespeare uses language effectively to show the contrast between moods. An example of this would be, in the opening to this scene the servants are rushing around, frantic under pressure etc. “ Where’s Potpan? that he helps not to take away? he shift a trencher? He scrape a trencher” The language is very plain and boring, no poetry, also there is hardly any old English in the dialogue of the servants.

Capulet speaks in poetry, however his language is very crude and funny, like a comedian ...

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Capulet speaks in poetry, however his language is very crude and funny, like a comedian “Welcome Gentlemen! Ladies that have their toes unplagued with corns will walk about you” This shows he has a side to his character that can be a joker and a laugh.

In strong contrast to this is when Romeo first lays eyes on Juliet “What lady’s that which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight?” The language here is very romantic and soulful. The whole of the dialogue between Romeo and Juliet is a sonnet. I know this because it is written in rhyming poetry and is about love, and that’s what a sonnet is in most cases. It is also very rich in imagery. The image this puts in your mind is that he really and truly loves this girl, we can tell this from the way he first describes her. “ As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear, beauty too rich for use, for earth to dear.” “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” The effect it has on the audience is that we can hear how much Romeo loves and cares for Juliet even though he has only just met her.

The next section of the scene is a complete contrast yet again, the reason being Tybalt and Capulet are having an argument about Romeo being a Montague.

TYBALT: “ Uncle this is a Montague our foe.”

CAPULET:” He shall be endured”

The language here is very abrupt compared to romance of Romeo and Juliet. The picture it puts in our mind is that Tybalt despises Montague’s and would go to any extent to kill Romeo just because he is a Montague! I think the audience would feel intimidated by this character. It also shows a completely different side to Capulet then the side we saw earlier. This is important because then we get to see how versatile the character can be.

It is a complete shock when the scene moves from this straight into Romeo and Juliet being all romantic and lovey – dovey. Romeo and Juliet use the language of Shakespeare in a sonnet.

ROMEO: “ 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.”

JULIET: “ Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,

Which mannerly devotion shows in this,

For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch,

And palm to palm is holy palmers kiss.”

The final section of the scene where Romeo and Juliet both discover that they are enemies in love, they didn’t realise that they were Capulet’s and Montague’s and they were forbid to ever meet because of the feud. It is a horrible contrast because they were so romantic and in love then to find out this, it must have destroyed them. It leaves the audience feeling sick, painful, and annoyed about the feud. I really enjoyed this scene because all of the different changes of mood throughout the one scene.

English Coursework

Romeo & Juliet Act 1 Scene 5

Ms Hardy

Zoe Pattemore

11CAP