Drama In Act I, Scene V

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Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story written William Shakespeare in the 16th century. The themes are based on tragedy, love and fate. Love is introduced by Romeo and Juliet throughout the play and is what they only do together. Their fate sadly will be their death. However they were both destined to end in calamity. To begin with, the play opens with the prologue in Verona, Italy. The prologue is written as a sonnet and is a traditional poetic form that dealt with a theme of requited love. Sonnets also created a sense of harmony. If one were to read the prologue, you will know that the play will end in tragedy. The unlucky children from these enemy families: the Montague’s and the Capulet’s fall in love but commit suicide meaning from the prologue ‘A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life’. This suggests to the audience that their forsaken death has put an end to the war of their parents feud. Nevertheless, the bombard against the two families had ended. This brought a lesson to the Montague’s and Capulet’s that there could have been reconciliation instead of antipathy. Furthermore what is abnormal about the prologue is that it has mentioned the tragic ending. This appeals to the audience because this makes the audience ruminate, why Shakespeare would want the ending before the prelude of the play had commenced. Just before Act 1 scene 5, Shakespeare has placed this piece of text, which Romeo says ‘I fear to early’. This makes us think why Shakespeare has put this here and what feelings is he trying to create. The possible feeling he is feeling at the moment is fear that is referred in the quote. This creates a lot of tension in the air and brings the audience in feeling very desirous wondering why he is feeling f... ... middle of paper ... ...ll die but nonetheless she will die if she has him as well. When Juliet asks the nurse to find out who Romeo is she says ‘If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed. This is interesting because if Romeo gets married to Juliet, then they will both die and so the marriage will be like as if they are celebrating their marriage in bereavement. The audience will be envisaging that Juliet has no contrivance out of this. Either way she dies whether she marries Romeo or if she can’t have him at all. She has been cemented and cannot get out of this plight. Juliet also says ‘My only love sprung from my only hate’. This acquaints the audience that the only one she hates sprung from the only one she loves. This creates antithesis. The words ‘love’ and ‘hate’ are there because this heightens the tension and she has predilection for him as well as hatred.

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