How does Shakespeare make the audience fell sympathy for Juliet in Act 3 Scene 5?

Authors Avatar

How does Shakespeare make the audience fell      sympathy for Juliet in Act 3 Scene 5?

In the play “Romeo and Juliet” one of the main emotions felt by the audience is sympathy. In Act 3, Scene 5, Juliet goes through lots of emotions. First she feels intense love then despair and after the end of Act 3, Scene 5 she feels alone and in isolation. Shakespeare makes the audience understand Juliet’s emotions and the audience see how much the events effect her emotions and how much she has grown up.

The audience are already prepared to feel sympathy for Juliet because the long chain of events started as soon as she said her first line in Act 1 Scene 3. When lady Capulet asked Juliet “How stands your disposition to be married?” she asks Juliet whether she wants to get married to Paris. From Juliet’s answer we see that she was a very young, protected from life and innocent girl- “It is an honour that I dream not of”. We also see in that scene that Juliet doesn’t have a good relationship with her mother-Lady Capulet which increases sympathy for Juliet because she has never really had a mother as Lady Capulet cannot hold a conversation with her. “We must talk in secret” she realises that she cannot speak to her daughter “nurse come back again” whereas the Nurse has known her since she was a baby and is Juliet’s only trustworthy friend.

So her first emotions were innocent and she had no intention of marrying anyone at the age of just 14.

In Act 1 Scene 5 these emotions change when she meets Romeo and falls in love with him “You kiss by the book”. Our sympathy increases even more in this scene because the first time she thinks of love and marriage she meets Romeo “My only love sprung from my only hate”. They then meet up again in Act 2 Scene 2 and Romeo overhears Juliet’s declaration of love. Juliet feels embarrassed about this “Fain would dwell on form (She wish she could dwell on the correct way of speaking) fain would deny what I have spoke (She cannot deny her declaration of love because Romeo overheard her). But farewell compliments (She wished she never said it)”. She is now willing to give up anything for love “Romeo doff thy name, and that name which is no part of the take myself”. She is very young and modest, in this scene as well “The mask of night is on my face else would a maiden blush be paint my cheek”. She is very practical and sensible “dost thou love me?” and “how cam’st you hither”. The audience feel sympathy for Juliet because she has to take on so much responsibility at such a young age and she does it sensibly “It is too rash, too unadvised too sudden”.

Join now!

In Act 3 Scene 2 Juliet sends the nurse off to arrange the marriage. Romeo agrees and Friar Laurence marries them the same day. Later that same day in Act 3 Scene 1 Tybalt murders Romeo’s best friend- Mercutio and as a result of this Romeo murders Juliet’s cousin- Tybolt. After Romeo murders Tybolt he says “I am fortunes fool”. So Juliet’s husband- Romeo is banished. So soon after her marriage, she is thrust into turmoil by the death of Tybolt.  Banishment of course adds an extra twist to the play and both Romeo and Juliet are distraught after it. ...

This is a preview of the whole essay