This sonnet allows us to make other interesting comparisons. In Act 1 Scene 2 Benvolio has said that he will show Romeo women who will make his “swan” (Rosaline) look like a “crow” (supposedly a common and ugly bird). Now Romeo, in a very similar comparison, says that Juliet (whose name he does not yet know) is like a “snowy dove” among “crows” (the other women). She stands out in a dark room as a bright jewel (which would catch the torchlight) in the ear of a dark-skinned person. The contrast of light and darkness in these comparisons suggests that Juliet is fair-skinned and perhaps fair-haired while most of the other women are dark. Although other people are on stage as Romeo says these things, he really speaks his thoughts or thinks aloud - so this speech is a soliloquy as well as being spoken in iambic pentameter. This gives the impression that Juliet’s beauty is so superior that nothing else matters, he is sent to his own little world.
Just after Romeo’s speech Tybalt, a Capulet, recognizes Romeo’s voice and the audience knows that something is about to happen. From previous scenes they also know that Tybalt is a troublemaker and a vicious fighter as he ‘hates all Montague’s’ and wouldn’t easily back down from a fight. Tybalt’s aggressive and hostile language contrasts with Romeo’s language. Tybalt is speaking in verses but it couldn’t be more different from Romeo’s romantic, poetic language about Juliet. The fact that Tybalt speaks in rhyming couplets is to show his continued anger and his disjointed syllables are purposefully put in to directly contrast with Romeo’s ordered language. Tension is built in this part of the scene as Tybalt demands his sword ‘To strike him dead I hold it not a sin’; this somewhat forceful language might shock Elizabethan audience, with Tybalt threatening to disturb the ball. However Capulet intervenes, still playing the good host, he asks what’s wrong with Tybalt. When he explains Romeo’s gate crashing Capulet forbids Tybalt to do anything that will ‘make a mutiny’ amongst his guests. When Capulet is being pleasant to Tybalt he uses “thou/thee/thy” but when he becomes angry he switches to “you”. This helps us understand Capulet’s opinion of Tybalt as we are shown that Capulet is only holding up a veneer of politeness and is not against using derogatory terms to refer to Tybalt. The same thing happens when he becomes angry with Juliet in Act 3, scene 5. While Tybalt is busy being angry he hints at the future using foreshadowing “I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall.”Romeo never knows that it is his presence at the party that causes Tybalt later to challenge him to a duel. These things lead to the events of Act 3, Scene 1, where Mercutio and Tybalt die.
The relationship between Tybalt and Lord Capulet represents another pair of themes that is apparent in the play which is that of age and youth. Tybalt’s sudden flaring anger and greatly varying temper combined with his disjointed syllables and use of rhyming couplets points towards all the attributes of a rash youth. On the other hand Capulet, with his use of blank verse spoken in lines of iambic pentameter clearly represents age as he presides over the party and keeps Tybalt in line. The sheer difference in their speech drags the audience’s eyes across the stage and emphasises their total difference of view point. The same is to some extent true of Romeo and Capulet as they both speak in an ordered but very different fashion.
When Romeo and Juliet kiss, the language is densely descriptive for several reasons. If Romeo was to touch Juliet it would be considered disrespectful, so a kiss would be beyond the word controversial. Hence, Shakespeare focuses a lot of attention upon this very moment. From the text, one can infer that this kissing scene is sacred. The way lips are symbolically made out to be “pilgrims” travelling to their Saint, which is Juliet’s body on some holy journey to a shrine. The journey is passion and the shrine is the pure Juliet herself. Lines such as “My lips, two blushing pilgrims…” and “For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch,” clearly show this view. This part of the text only describes the kissing of Juliet’s hand, to ‘smooth that rough touch’ that Romeo’s hands made upon Juliet’s hands.
The kiss itself was Romeo’s attempt at purifying himself and Juliet subjects to this, labelling it as the answer to a prayer. The following lines show this:
“Juliet – Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake.
Romeo – Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take.
[He kisses her]
Thus from my lips by thine my sin is purged.”
Here, Juliet is saying that Saint’s grant prayers, knowing well enough what Romeo longs for, and subsequently his prayer is answered. Juliet later says that she herself has been coated in this sin, and Romeo kisses her again to purify her. This shows the audience that Romeo believes Juliet to be a virgin life form, much like an angel.
It is also worth noting that in most cases one can only be canonised, that is to be officially recognised as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, after death. This could represent more foreshadowing within the scene as even in a scene of Romance the lead characters jointly predict their own deaths. Also, such holy comparisons as “If I profane with my unworthiest hand, this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this” would probably have been seen as blasphemous in the sixteenth century. Romeo declares Juliet to be a shrine; not that she is like a shrine but that she actually is a shrine. At this time in history blasphemy was an offence punishable by death. This could be seen as another example of foreshadowing cleverly designed to keep in one’s head the knowledge of what is to come thus adding to the already taught atmosphere.
Before Romeo meets Juliet, he loves Rosaline, Lord Capulet's niece. He describes her as exceptionally beautiful: "The all-seeing sun ne’er saw her match since first the world begun." Rosaline, however, chooses to remain celibate; Romeo says: "She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow, Do I live dead that live to tell it now."This is the source of his depression, and he makes his friends unhappy; Mercutio comments: "That same pale, hard-hearted wench, that Rosaline, torments him so that he will sure run mad." Benvolio urges Romeo to sneak into a Capulet gathering where, he claims, Rosaline will look like "a crow" alongside the other beautiful women. Romeo agrees, but doubts Benvolio's assessment. After Romeo sees Juliet his feelings suddenly change: "Did my heart love 'til now? Forswear it, sight, for I ne'er saw true beauty 'til this night." Because their relationship is sudden and secret, Romeo's friends and Friar Laurence continue to speak of his affection for Rosaline throughout much of the play. Rosaline acts as a plot device, by motivating Romeo to sneak into the Capulet party where he will meet Juliet. Without her, their meeting would be unlikely. Rosaline thus acts as the impetus to bring the "star-cross'd lovers" to their deaths—she is crucial in shaping their fate (a common theme of the play). Ironically, she remains ignorant of her role and is never seen on stage. Romeo's love for Rosaline can seem childish as compared with his “true love” for Juliet. Others argue that the apparent difference in Romeo's feelings shows Shakespeare's improving skill. Since Shakespeare is thought to have written early drafts of the play in 1591, and then picked them up again in 1597 to create the final copy, the change in Romeo's language for Rosaline and Juliet may mirror Shakespeare's increased skill as a playwright: the younger Shakespeare describing Rosaline, and the more experienced describing Juliet.
Although Shakespeare’s writing gives the impression that Romeo’s love for Juliet is different and perhaps superior to his love for Rosaline the only sort of praise given is directed at Juliet’s beauty. Of course Romeo has only just met Juliet at this point and her beauty would be the first thing that would hit him but throughout their romance outward beauty seems to be the prominent factor. This could just reflect the nature of the relationship which is all based on fleeting moments or it could represent something deeper, emphasizing the fact that, engrossing as it is, Romeo and Juliet is still a play and thus is not reality. Beauty is idealised in the exotic setting of Verona and of course a not so physically appealing heroine would not favour the nature of the whirlwind courtship. Maybe this is designed to remind the audience that these happenings cannot work in reality.
The Nurse is the one to tell the pair of their true identities. During the merriment of the ball, she spies Romeo kissing her charge. Knowing herself who Romeo is, she breaks them up by claiming, "Madam, your mother craves a word with you". Romeo innocently inquires who the "lady of the house" is. When told, he is crestfallen. "Is she a Capulet? O dear account. My life is my foe's debt," he wails. Alone with her Nurse, Juliet too wants to know her admirer's identity. When told, Juliet is heartbroken, exclaiming, “Too early seen unknown, and known too late. Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy" It appears that Juliet is very upset when she finds out that Romeo is a Montague: "My only love sprung from my only hate/that I must love a loathed enemy". Juliet uses the word “must” because she already knows that there is no going back, that this is her destiny, relating back to one of the plays main themes-fate. She already knows that the feelings she harbours for Romeo are forbidden and that a relationship between them could never work properly. I think the news that Juliet was a Capulet does not have as much of an effect on Romeo as it does on Juliet. Romeo is probably too “in love” for this to bother him too much.
After examining Act 1 Scene 5, one can clearly see how Shakespeare has effectively used his divisive techniques to formulate a play that is so enchanting and emotionally capturing that it is hard to look away from what is going on during the exhilarating performance. Shakespeare constantly engages the viewer through the tension he builds by placing his characters in eerie situations and formulating a negative conclusion throughout the play whilst suspending an element of hope especially towards the end when the time has come for Romeo and his Juliet to inevitably die. This suspense is a naturally enjoyable experience for most people, as it is a supreme form of entertainment. Examples of this mainly exist in Act 1 Scene 5. The concept of a masked ball where friends and foes alike meet is frighteningly attractive. One may not want to see the consequences, but Shakespeare includes techniques so that the audience does not break away. These are either the soliloquies or the stage actions, such as kissing, so the audience is somewhat forced into viewing the rest.
To sum up, Act 1 scene 5 is very important because many themes of the play begin to appear in it. The scene is significant as Tybalt recognises Romeo in the crowd of people and hates him as he is a Montague. Tybalt threatens to kill Romeo but he is subsequently killed by Romeo later on in the play. The theme of love also commences in this scene as Romeo and Juliet finally meet and fall in love. The theme of love leads to the secret marriage of Romeo and Juliet. Love also leads to the theme of tragedy as Romeo is misinformed and believes Juliet is dead. The ending theme of the play is death which is, using foreshadowing, heavily hinted at throughout this scene making it important in increasing the already high tension level among the audience.
Personally I admire the sheer amount of devices that are used to cleverly weave this scene together but looking back I see the shortness of the scene as its downfall. Obviously it is different when seen on stage where the sense of time between words is easier to understand but the speed from which Romeo progresses from first setting eyes on her to the “you’re-the-love-of-my-life” headset is quite remarkable if slightly suspect. It’s almost as if Romeo latches onto Juliet as a substitute for Rosaline. Of course during the rest of the play the affections are reaffirmed many times but for dramatic effect and the sheer rollercoaster of emotions that the audience is put through during this short excerpt it is safe to say this scene is incredibly dramatically effective.
