Study of two scenes from Romeo and Juliet.

Authors Avatar

R + J Coursework

By Adam Jenner

Introduction

The two scenes which Romeo and Juliet meet are both filled with an emotional tension however there is a different sort of tension in the two scenes. For instance in the first scene the concern is over how the love could even be born and how it would affect their families. In the second scene it is more a case of how can their love survive so soon after it was first created. The language used in each scene is also different and complex on different levels, whether it is merely comparisons to Greek goddesses or perhaps questioning the importance of words  Shakespeare has put it into the mouths of Romeo and Juliet.

First Scene

The first scene begins with Romeo appearing beneath Juliet’s balcony.

It starts with him comparing Juliet to the sun, rising and killing the envious moon with references to Greek mythology. Then she appears on the balcony Romeo below in the garden listening to her personal thoughts about him and the idea of falling in love with her family’s foe, possibly the most famous line in literature:

Join now!

“Romeo, Romeo where for art thou Romeo deny thy father and refuse thy name”

Although these words are not addressed to Romeo he does hear them from his hiding position in the grounds.  He is happy to hear them as he considers whether or not he should respond to them. Juliet meanwhile continues talking of the lack of importance of names, saying that Montague is “not hand nor arm nor face nor any other part belonging to a man”.

“That which we call a rose by any other world would smell as sweet.”

This above quote points ...

This is a preview of the whole essay