In this Juliet is compared to light,’O she doth teach the torches to burn bright’. This poetic exaggeration is a metaphor as torches cannot be taught, but the language connotes the idea of how she stands out amongst the crowded room and how she is the light whilst everything else remains dark. Light links in with purity and innocence, and for the audience shows the significance of feeling for these two characters and their need to be resembled to the idea of innocence in order for the dramatic irony to take effect. At this point from the description made by Romeo’ a rich jewel, beauty too rich’, the type of love and passion Romeo feels for Juliet is shown and there is instant elimination of the idea of fraudulency and the question of whether he is genuine or just a Casanova in regards to his disappearing feelings for Rosaline.With Romeo’s powerful description of Juliet the audience, back in Shakespearean time, would be able to mentally illustrate Juliet’s features from the description and this is important because in them days Juliet’s stage role would be played as a boy. This instant height of drama made by Romeo’s soliloquy is achieved but Shakespeare lifts it higher with a stronger and more hating speech, that of Tybalts.
Tybalt at this point hears Romeos’ voice and realizes that there are Montague’s present. There is an increase in tension felt by the audience as his violent language becomes paramount just at the exact moment as Romeo falls in love with Juliet. The overall mood becomes angry, the pace changes and threats are being made.’ fetch me my rapier, strike him dead’ shows that Tybalt has the intent of violence and the audience then begins to fear for Romeo.’Uncle, this is a Montague, our foe’, Shakespeare shows the hate and rivalry between Romeo and Tybalt and generally the drama and conflict between Capulet and Montague. This is dramatically effective and Capulet’s response to Tybalt is’ he shall be endured’, and he talks about how Romeo is causing no harm and is’ well governed’. In response to Tybalt’s backlashes Capulet calls him ‘a saucy boy’, which insults Tybalt leaving him with no other choice but to obey commands and leave Romeo be. The audience know that with no interruption of the party the meeting of Romeo and Juliet is to take place. This creates even more excitement. Tybalt will not less this insult pass,’ but convert to Bitterest Gall’, predicts something bad is going to happen, like death, as he then stores his revenge.
At last the two meet and immediately fall deeply in love with each other. The language used by Shakespeare here eloquently describes the fiery passion they feel for one another and the audience after the build up and all of their waiting, finally are rewarded as the two lovers meet. The mood captivates the audience as it is almost like a spell, filled with enchanting romance and isolated from rest of the world. By using rich, passionate dialogue Shakespeare is able to once again express the feelings of Romeo towards Juliet. Romeo is shown to be an ingenious lover, convincing Juliet to kiss him after such short conversation. In using religious imagery the two speak in extended metaphor where she is the saint and he is the pilgrim which shows to the audience their love for each other is genuine.’ My lips, two blushing pilgrims, let lips do what hands do’, associating the passion of god like beings, flirting with a blasphemous idea in that Romeo sees Juliet as a Saint that should be worshipped. The sharing of the sonnet symbolises the coming together of the two characters in heart body mind and spirit and they end by finishing each other’s sentences.
As an audience, their emotions are all over the place conflicting as in one way we want them to get together but at the same time the audience know they are doomed and this is where dramatic irony is at its highest pursuit. Juliet freely engages in conversation by describing Romeo as the God of her idolatry thereby replacing God with Romeo. In effect infatuation is present to the audience and pronouncing that God to some extent sanctioned their love provides the audience in Shakespeare’s time with great beliefs in this love and thereby it is compared with their strong religious beliefs, which are pure, innocent and real, like their love for each other.
Romeo first suggests that he is unworthy of Juliet’s beauty and that to kiss would be a sin,’ this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,’ an oxymoron effect as sin is the opposite of gentle which means noble and virtuous, Romeo who possesses these qualities towards Juliet. The scene between them both provides an indication of the roles that each will play in the relationship, Romeo being more dominant as he seduced. Juliet although motionless at first kiss she becomes much more aggressive and starts to mature from a young girl to a mature woman. Using her logic she ensures that Romeo kisses her again in order to take back the sin that he placed on her lips’ give me my sin again, you kiss by the book’ and in doing this the audience learn that Romeo is proficient or how he has impacted Juliet with his passionate yet innocent infatuated kiss. With Juliet impressed she ends up encouraging him to pursue their love. From an audience’s point of view, the drama here is immensely drastic and Juliet’s shocking manner is rebelling against her duty. The dramatic irony poses condemned consequences for Juliet and in loving this Montague she will become destitute and faced with devastating risks.
The dramatic effect of one kiss is heightened in this section, because of what it now means in the context of their lives and also the play. Drama is used and in effect translates to the audience that this is one of the most important incidents and scenes of the play.
When Romeo finds out Juliet is a Capulet all dreams and aspirations are exasperated and cast off.’ My life is in my enemies hands’ expresses to the audience his devastation and shift of mood, where moments ago he dwelled in his happiest point of his life and all to be teared apart by an ongoing conflict of families. As an audience pity falls upon them and commiserations are felt towards the character Romeo. The impact becomes so strong on the audience that they feel that the selfishness of humanity is ruthful but through sadness comes fear as readers become concerned because they know what is to happen.
Section seven finalizes the scene and brings about when Juliet discovers Romeo is a Montague. Here too mutual feelings of devastation plague this section,’ my only love sprung from my only hate’ which is a paradox and is gripping because Shakespeare intensifies the conflict by using antithesis which show how the two opposites create the situation Juliet is in, love-hate and good-evil. This quotation from the play is so dramatic because its emotional impact contrasts to the mood of the party and the romantic scene before sending the audiences feelings haywire. The unfortunate heavyhearted truth is revealed that the only man that she has ever loved is from the only family she hates and this brings a sense of foreboding to the scene and the destiny that they are never going to be able to stay together or for this relationship to work. Before, neither of them knew that they each belonged to their respective family's sworn enemy, and so when they do discover this fact, its heart wrenching for the audience, although we already knew, but it was like a bomb waiting to go off, as for the pair, it is too late, as they are already in love.’ If be married my grave is to be my wedding bed’, is dramatic irony as we know she is going to die, a grave is significant as it acts as an omen and represents her presaging fortune. This section ends the scene and pivots the mood leaving the two tragically fated lovers from feuding families to meet the challenge of their destiny.
In conclusion I do think Act 1 scene 5 is an effective piece of drama. The contrasting atmosphere and soap opera style shifts pace the scene and the speed of events create intense drama. The moods in the scene shift from one extreme to another from anger to sadness, lust to love, which makes the audience gripped to what, is going on. Characters in the scene are gradually developed so that you see more and more of them until you finally see the whole side of them. For example Lord Capulets joyest mood changes and becomes aggressive towards Tybalt where you can then see his true colours.
The dramatic impact of when Romeo first meets Juliet is that his description of Juliet exploits the possibilities of passionate language and as an audience we are forced to forget hustle and bustle of the party and are drawn to images of beauty. To make it even more impacting on the audience Shakespeare portrays Romeo love for Juliet as kindred. This therefore reveals to the audience the reckless path of two lovers as well as the idea of’ adolescent’ love, diminishing at the sight of something more impressive. When Romeo and Juliet do meet there is a heighten in drama and passion. This is the most intense part of Act 1 scene 5 and this section abounds in imagery. Vivid words and phrases help create atmosphere of the play. They conjure up emotionally charged pictures in the imagination of its audience and deepens the dramatic impact of particular moments, which provides insight to both characters. Their love is so powerful that they begin to think of each other in religious terms and using a sonnet filled with religious imagery and metaphor of pilgrim serves to reinforce the image of love and devotion. For a Shakespearean audience the dramatic irony would take effect and they would have moral concern on the betrayal of both sets of parents. In those times their moral standards were thought of highly and views involving religious aspects were stronger than they are of the modern audiences of today. Shakespeare’s time marriages were arranged to improve wealth and status so in Romeo and Juliet joining together, with the audience knowing of their biological backgrounds the dramatic tension and involvement of audience is built up.
Even today though, this scene takes effect on modern audience, as Romeo and Juliet present the chaos and passion of being in love and the vulnerability of young love. It also shows the audience of dilemmas, which can exist from a relationship. Romeo and Juliet influences a target audience and is to some extent specifically directed at the young population through a variety of techniques in the scene combining the traditional story with contemporary issues. It emphasises the love versus hate, the families versus each other and the dramatic irony of life versus death. The two themes of love and hate, hate expressed by Tybalt, not only exist throughout the scene and the play but also throughout world and time and this is why the play is so popular because billions can relate to it. Modern day plays are also very similar to Romeo and Juliet, such as the West Side story and is more or less based on the same story line where two lovers, oblivious to the others heritage, fall in love.
The scene shows the innocent meeting of two lovers and whether our lives are governed by fate or by our personal choice. It also presents to the audience the drama that lovers are not all responsible for catastrophes they suffer and that we as a modern audience can learn from the characters that we cannot be fully in control of our own lives.
This love story and this scene not only shows two people’s feelings for one another but about how hate can come in the way between two people or in modern day two different sets of people and how hate can develop because of their family background, or likewise in today’s society, separation because of religious beliefs. The play and scene dramatises diversity, combining images of love, violence, religion and family and these issues that pervade Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet are timeless and for this reason they remain relevant for modern readers.
There are may crucial events in act 1 scene 5 and differences in pace, emotion and character combined create the effectiveness of drama, and sets the scene for the rest of histories greatest tale about Romeo and Juliet tragically ending with the harsh reality of death.
