Shakespeare prepares us for this scene by saying that Romeo feels that something is going to go very badly wrong this evening, ‘I fear, too early: for my mind misgives some consequence, yet hanging in the stars.’ Romeo makes a reference to stars; Romeo and Juliet end up being star-crossed lovers who meet a young death.
Costumes can be used to represent their characters’ personalities, eg. Juliet is dressed as an angel, which suggests she is unearthly. Lord Capulet is dressed as Caesar, which shows that he is powerful, and in charge of the house. Tybalt is dressed as the devil, representing evil.
In Shakespeare’s time there was no stage lighting used but in modern times it is used to show the character’s mood or highlight the character we are supposed to be focusing on.
This is Juliet’s first time in public. As she is only fourteen and everyone’s face is covered by a mask she could be very vulnerable. However she does not see it as being dangerous. We see this by her mingling with strangers and talking to Romeo, whom she doesn’t yet know.
In this scene Juliet meets Paris, her proposed husband, for the first time but does not pay much attention to him for she has already seen Romeo and is thinking about seeing him again. Paris was Juliet’s proposed husband, but it was an arranged marriage. Marriages such as this one between Juliet and Paris were usually arranged between rich families to make their fortunes grow.
At the beginning of the scene when Lord Capulet makes his speech, his mood is happy when he greets his guests and he is very loud and welcoming, joking that if the guests do not dance he will assume they have bad feet. He then starts talking to cousin Capulet, Tybalt, who comes up to say that he has just seen Romeo. Lord Capulet’s mood starts to change and his tone of voice becomes angry and he starts to shout. However during this talk with Tybalt he also has other conversations with people around him: ‘You must contrary me! Marry, ‘tis time – well said my hearts! – you are a princox: go, be quiet, or – more light, more light, for shame!’
Anger is emphasised in this scene; however, happiness and joy are mixed in with it. These moods capture the audience’s attention with their rapid changes. Lord Capulet has the greatest mood swings of all the characters in this scene.
Lord Capulet’s movements on the stage reflect his moods; for instance when he is welcoming his guests, he is in a good mood and stands proudly at the top of the steps, but when he is talking to Tybalt he is pacing about and making angry gestures, eg becoming violent towards him and hitting him.
When Romeo first sees Juliet he describes her beauty: ‘Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright’. I think here he is saying that she stands out from the crowd; her skin is glowing and her beauty is unearthly. He then makes comparisons, ‘as a rich jewel in Ethiop’s ear.’ I think he is talking about her beauty and comparing black and white; he also refers to doves and crows. He is saying she stands out because of her beauty, and her skin has a glow like a rich jewel.
Zefferelli’s production and Baz Luhrmann’s views on Romeo falling in love at first sight are quite similar.
Zefferelli’s is the traditional view; Romeo and Juliet first meet in the hall when they touch hands, palm to palm, during the dance. They are looking for each other after that and meet round a pillar. Romeo takes her hand and says, ‘If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentler sin is this: My lips two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.’ Pilgrims are religious travellers, who go on pilgrimages to religious centres such as Canterbury. They would go to see holy relics such as the bones of Thomas a Beckett, a religious martyr, hoping to be blessed by touching the bones. This reflects Romeo wanting to be blessed by kissing Juliet because he thinks she is beautiful beyond belief.
However Baz Luhrmann’s is based in modern times. They do not meet while dancing together because she is dancing with Paris but they do meet later round a pillar and Romeo takes her hand and makes the ‘pilgrims’ speech.
Tybalt gets really angry when he sees Romeo, who is his archenemy, at the ball in his uncle Capulet’s house. ‘This by his voice, should be a Mountague.’ He has seen Romeo talking about Juliet and wants to kill him. He tells a slave to fetch his sword (the men were not allowed to wear their swords at the ball). ‘To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.’ Tybalt storms off to find Lord Capulet to tell him that his enemy is in his house and the atmosphere changes with their conversation. Tybalt wants to start a fight and kill Romeo but Lord Capulet will not hear of it in his house. ‘Content thee, gentle coz, let him alone: a bears him like a portly gentleman; and, to say truth, Verona brags of him to be a virtuous and well-governed youth.’ He tries to calm Tybalt by saying Romeo is a nice enough boy; leave him alone. The prince has warned Lord Capulet that if the two families fight again they will all be executed. Tybalt does not listen; Lord Capulet gets angry and starts shouting and the atmosphere changes from calm to violent.
This scene is effective on stage because it brings the play to life, using the following devices in the dialogue, together with the movements, emotions portrayed, social and historical factors and staging effects:
Romeo is always using opposites, or extremes, which underline his youth and undeveloped character, For example: in act 1 scene 1 ‘feather of lead, bright smoke, sick health.’ He also contrasts black and white in act 1 scene 5 when describing Juliet ‘As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear, so shows a snowy dove trooping with crows.’
The use of sonnets makes the conversations more concise and therefore has a more dramatic impact on the audience. The Elizabethan audience would recognise the format and Romeo and Juliet’s sonnet would also be recognised as a love poem.
In Romeo’s speech before they go off to the Capulet’s mansion, he refers to stars and how he thinks something is going to go wrong. Romeo and Juliet end up being star-crossed lovers. At the end of the scene Romeo and Juliet find out that they both come from two feuding families and that their relationship is doomed. She is already promised to Paris. They are both in despair but still determined to go ahead with it. Already the audience feels that it will all end in tragedy.
Lord Capulet stops Tybalt from starting a fight in his house with Romeo firstly because the prince had warned him that if they had any more feuds they would all be executed. Secondly it was very disrespectful to go into someone’s house and start fighting with one of his other guests.
In Elizabethan times when this play was set, they would have had proper Elizabethan dancing and this is where Romeo would have met Juliet and danced with her palm to palm.
Romeo only went to the ball because he wanted to see Rosaline, who was Juliet’s cousin, but didn’t find her and was distracted by Juliet and fell in love at first sight. The irony of the whole situation is that if Romeo hadn’t gone to the ball in the first place he wouldn’t have met Juliet.
Overall I think that this scene would be more effective on stage today because special effects and lighting would be used. Actresses, rather than young boys, would play female roles. This would make the scene more realistic and make the characters more convincing. In an Elizabethan theatre the scene would be realistic, however there would have been no lighting or special effects, which would make the scene less dramatic.
