Act 3 Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Act 3 Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Act 3, scene 5 is one of the most dramatic and crucial scenes of the

play, showing a vast range of emotions, themes and issues, including

tension, pain, heart-break, love and death. The scene begins with an

intense feeling of separation, as Romeo must leave Juliet or face

almost certain death, ‘I must be gone and live, or stay and die’. This

tension gives the audience a great sense of empathy for both Romeo and

Juliet as their undoubted love must once again be torn apart.

At the beginning of the play Romeo is portrayed as the ‘love sick

puppy,’ risking his life to meet with Juliet in the balcony scene.

Juliet is a contrast, she is sensible and realistic compared to the

naive Romeo. However, these positions and characteristics are

completely reversed in this scene as Juliet becomes so engrossed with

her love, she begs Romeo not to leave despite the danger he would face

if he stayed, ‘Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day: it was the

nightingale, and not the lark.’ In distinction, Romeo becomes

practical and knows what he should do and what would happen if he

doesn’t, ‘It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale.

Look, love, what envious streaks do lace the serving clouds in yonder

east.’

The use of poetic love language is present throughout the opening of

the scene and describes the ‘star-crossed’ immense feelings of

turmoil, confusion and deep love for each other, in a very romantic

way, ‘Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on

the misty mountain tops.’ The use of analogies, calling the stars

‘Night candles’ and describing sunrise as...

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...nd of the scene. Shakespeare uses a rhyming couplet in order

to emphasise Juliet’s last resort: ‘I’ll to the friar, to know his

remedy: if all else fail, myself have power to die’. This means that

Juliet will now go to the friar to ask for help, showing that she has

no desire to consort or reconcile with any of the adults in her life.

However, if this fails then she would rather kill herself than marry

Paris, this demonstrates her stubbornness and dogmatic character,

similar to that found within her father. The fact that Juliet

threatens to kill herself is quite ironic, as at the end of the play,

she does in fact, commit suicide. The scene concludes with a

traumatised Juliet, feeling distraught and completely alone,

contemplating her inevitable tragic and desolate future, she is a girl

totally miserable and distressed.