EXPLORE HOW SHAKESPEARE CREATES DRAMATIC TENSION IN ACT 1, SCENE 5

Explore how Shakespeare creates dramatic tension in Act 1, scene 5

In this essay I will explore the way Shakespeare creates dramatic tension in the play Romeo and Juliet, Act 1 scene 5. The audience was given a prologue at the beginning of the play; this would enable them to have a simple idea of the play, giving them a desire to carry on watching the play. The Globe theatre was the place Shakespeare’s plays were performed to the audiences. The globe theatre was exposed to wind, rain, snow and lack of lighting meant plays had to be performed only in daylight. Such conditions encouraged Shakespeare to be imaginative and create a storyline that would sustain the audience’s attention throughout the play.

The play ‘Romeo and Juliet is about ‘two star crossed lovers’ that are from two families who are enemies; Montague and Capulet, but the children fall in love with each other. Romeo and Juliet get married in secret. However the story continues, as a result of Tybalt’s murder, Romeo was banished and Juliet was set to marry Paris, well-respected suitor. So Juliet had counterfeited her own death by drinking a potion that made her appear dead. Romeo did not know of this and was told that Juliet had passed away. As a result of this Romeo bought poison to commit suicide, within twenty-four hours Romeo had gone to see Juliet who appeared dead at the time. This is when Romeo drinks the poison and dies. After seconds, Juliet awakens and looks at her dead Romeo, she tries to drink what’s’ left of the poison but she remains alive until she saw a dagger and stabs herself to death.

In Act 1 scene 5 it starts with a party in the Capulet mansion, also Romeo sees Juliet for the first time and describes her using hyperboles. Subsequently Tybalt recognises Romeo by his voice and swears he will kill him. However, then Romeo meets Juliet and they fall into pure love but also they find out that each of them are from opposite families, Capulet and Montague- sworn enemies.

In the beginning of Act 1 scene 5, the servants are rushing around to get everything in place for the party in Lord Capulet’s mansion. Capulet greets his guests in optimistic greetings at the commencement of the party.

‘Welcome, gentlemen! Ladies that have their toes

Unplagu’d with corns will walk a bout with you.

Ah mistresses, which of you all

Will deny to dance?’ (Act1 Scene 5 line16)

The quote above shows the audience that Lord Capulet is a jubilant man, and a good host. Also Lord Capulet has good character. This makes the audience feel blissful in the beginning of Act 1 scene 5. Consequently this good character is remembered when Tybalt is going to battle with Romeo but Lord Capulet prevents it, the audience yet again feel high-quality thoughts for Lord Capulet.

During Act 1 scene 4 the mood was gloomy and Romeo makes a prophecy that he will die. As a result of this the scene becomes ominous and bitter, also causes the audience to question whether Romeo will die in the following scene. In contrast, scene 5 is joyful and thrilling. Shakespeare has formed his first part of dramatic tension. So with the question of the audience, predicting Romeo will die in this scene has gone astray. Thus sustaining the audience’s attention into discovering more about what’s happening next. It will make the audience feel unsure; to the audience it is death and then followed by laughter. Shakespeare is using this contrast to show a scene is finished and a new scene has begun, resulting to audience feeling stranded. The audiences were engaged throughout the end of Act 1 scene 4 but then a new scene started and with dramatic effect, there is disparity in the theme between death and happiness in the two scenes. In my judgment Shakespeare has achieved this thoroughly because Shakespeare is controlling the amount of events happening in this particular scene. The technique in which he has done this is using a contrast of the amount of dramatic tension, for example the end of Act 1 scene 4, there is very high tension but by the beginning of scene 5 the dramatic tension has lowered. For the audience it sustains their attention.

Linking on to joyful atmosphere, Romeo sees Juliet for the first time, grasping similar mood but feeling affection for Juliet, in the way of love at first sight. However Romeo’s prophecy developed into a factual event, which he will fall into love.

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear:

Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!

In terms of emotions, Shakespeare has shown that Romeo loves Juliet the moment he laid eyes on her. Also Shakespeare uses hyperbole when ...

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O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear:

Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!

In terms of emotions, Shakespeare has shown that Romeo loves Juliet the moment he laid eyes on her. Also Shakespeare uses hyperbole when Romeo describes Juliet. The language above shows that Romeo is a very romantic and a loving person. The language Shakespeare is a hyperbole. Hyperbole is the uses of exaggeration in making Juliet seem superior, and possibly more attractive than she actually is. It puts emphasis on words and phrases to create a rhetorical effect on the audience. In Shakespeare’s time the audience would know when a character has used such language devices, the audiences will realise the emotion has Romeo showing throughout the speech. In line 45 (Act 1 scene 5) “As a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear”. Shakespeare uses hyperbole to exaggerate and emphasise the statement to make a more effective description of Juliet. The hyperbole makes it seem almost unreal to the audience, however still suggests the idea of the love at first sight.

Furthermore, Romeo was in love with Rosaline, the reason why he went to the banquet was to see Rosaline. In the earlier stages of the play the audience knew that Romeo was love sick and was very depressed all the time, until as we know Mercutio- Romeo’s friend persuaded him to go to a Capulet party. Also Romeo knowingly went to see if Rosaline was there and the dramatic tension is he forgot his love between Rosaline and fell in love with Juliet.

hears and recognises Romeo’s voice. Realising that there is a present, Tybalt sends a servant to fetch his rapier. ‘Fetch me my rapier, boy.’ (Act 1 scene line 54). At this very moment Tybalt’s sword has literally cut through the atmosphere of love. Shakespeare has used the same technique in building the tension, and then lowering it by changing the theme in which the events are taking place in, once more dramatic tension is being used. In variation Shakespeare uses characterisation by the contrast of Romeo and Tybalt. Tybalt a fearful, violent man weighed by Romeo; a subtle gentle man. As you can see Shakespeare is balancing and contrasting his characters to create dramatic tension by demonstrating how opposite characters are. However luckily for Romeo, Lord Capulet overhears Tybalt and reprimands him, telling him that Romeo is well regarded in Verona, and that he will not have the youth harmed at his feast. Tybalt protests, but Capulet scolds him until he agrees to keep the peace. As Lord Capulet moves on, Tybalt vows that he will not let this mortification pass. Consequently Capulet shows that Romeo is a good man, for the audience they distinguish Romeo as a respected high-quality man who in future will be the head of the Montague house; with more respect the audience know Romeo’s enemy says this about him. The effect on the audience is that Romeo is a highly respected young man; the audience will have a liking for Romeo, which later during the play shows Romeo and Juliet are well suited together. Additionally the volatile Tybalt swears vengeance on Romeo. The audience will remember the prologue and the prophecy Romeo made and that he is going die. Yet again the audience will be predicting if he is going to die in the next scene, and the audience will feel that Romeo is going to get killed by Tybalt. Thus Shakespeare is sustaining the audience and dramatic tension is being created. In addition Tybalt, this violent man has to suppress his emotion, bringing fear to the audience.

Despite the obvious obstacles of conflict and hate, the love of Romeo and Juliet is born and exists. When Romeo meets Juliet for the first time during the Capulet’s feast (Act 5), the language and form of the dialogue is shared by Romeo and Juliet also shows that their love is totally different from public life. Shakespeare thus presents their first conversation by means of a sonnet, a poetic convention very popular in the Elizabethan age. A sonnet’s expression of the romantic language allowed Shakespeare to break the boundaries of dramatic performance in play itself and to involve his audience emotionally as if they were receiver to a poem. This therefore means that Shakespeare represents Romeo and Juliet’s love by making the audience feel the purity and truthful of their love.

This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss (Act 1 scene 5 line 93)

The language of Shakespeare also helps to create this intimate and different specialty of love. When Romeo catches the sight of Juliet, he imagines “touching her, make blessed my rude hand”. To “touch her hand” is a linguistic representation of touch, a physical sign. In the sonnet, the focus of attention is touch, by repletion by Romeo and then by Juliet. The words “hands” and “lips” appear four times each, “kiss” and “touch” twice each, and in addition which, there are expressions with physical suggestions like “pilgrim”, “holy” and “saint”. Shakespeare uses language of religious imagery, the significance of this is that Romeo and Juliet love is like religion, truth and purity. To the audience their love is presented pure, so this ridicules thoughts that she is Capulet and he is Montague because the love between them is pure.

When Romeo and Juliet are first together in a sonnet, it creates an intimate circle of love, whereby the emotional experiences of the lovers show in isolation and in the relation of love and destiny. The use of the sonnet is that it makes Romeo and Juliet both bonded together by the same rhythm and meter, for example the word ‘kiss’ on the forth line of Romeo speech and fourth line of Juliet speech. So when the sonnet is said, Romeo and Juliet are in tie with each other. Thus Shakespeare has stated through the sonnet that they are both in love.

The love and happiness of Romeo and Juliet comes to level that no lovers had gone to. Within hours gathering they are in true solid love. The audience felt that these two, Romeo and Juliet are destined for their love, however when they found out that both are from families that are sworn enemies, the atmosphere of love had turned within seconds to despair. This is just like the violence in the beginning of the play and then a banquet in the following scenes. Dramatic tension has been made by the love of Romeo and Juliet- Capulet daughter, Montague son.

Is she a Capulet?

O dear account! My life is foe’s debt. (Romeo, Act 1 scent 5 line 117)

Shakespeare has shown throughout this part of the scene love but balances it out, between the contrast of love and violence. With the contrast Shakespeare has made dramatic tension in the contrast in moods and themes like love and violence. Also with the love between Romeo and Juliet, there has been great burden upon them. Romeo is Montague and Juliet is Capulet. This has sustained near to the end of the scene. Shakespeare has used this fact to change the pace of tension and the mood, also with contrast how can enemies be lovers. Shakespeare creates a raft in which there is love and hate. For audience this maintains their interest during the end of the scene, similarly like Shakespeare did during scene 4. As a result the audience will thrive for the next scene. In addition to this certain parts of the prologue will make sense to the audience and this is the way Shakespeare has linked dramatic tension throughout the play by using the prologue.

In conclusion Shakespeare has withheld the audience throughout the whole play over a time period of five days. Shakespeare has created dramatic tension by using contrast within the mood like love and violence. Also the differences in personality between certain characters like Romeo and Tybalt. Both from opposite families- Tybalt that is angry and Romeo who is calm, consequently building conflict of interest and as a result building dramatic tension. However Shakespeare has used linguistic devices such has a sonnet- a fourteen lined love poem that shows Romeo and Juliet are together, moving, talking at the same pace, a sign to the audience that they are in love. Also Romeo describes Juliet by using a very powerful hyperbole such as ‘Beauty too rich for use’ when he describes her at a first glance, it is showing the idea of love at first sight. Referring back to the question how Shakespeare creates dramatic tension in Act 1 scene 5 is through a number of ways like differences in characters, mood, theme and building the tension through the use of language is a hyperbole and sonnet. I think Shakespeare is successful because he uses many ways. Also he used the building of tension to sustain the audience’s interest; additionally Shakespeare had to be imaginative due the surrounds of his play in the globe theatre, because there were no special effects like the modern films of today. Another way in which Shakespeare is successful through the different choices of themes and in the play the several storylines he used to make the play interesting, similar to modern soaps today like Eastenders. As a result that was what made Shakespeare plays still intact today after hundreds of years and what made him popular.

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