Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

1210 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of humour in Romeo and Juliet

Act 1 of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is a dramatic act, immediately grabbing the audience’s attention. It is also significant in terms of themes and characters. Act 1 foreshadows the ending of the play and introduces fate, conflict and love as themes. Act one introduces Romeo and Juliet as the central characters, but also the Nurse, Benvollio, Mercutio and Tybalt as key characters in the play. Language and imagery bring alive both themes and characters.

Act 1, scene 1 contains a lot of dramatic significance as the feud between the two families, the Capulets and Montagues, is conveyed straight away. The scene also introduces conflict, while also containing comedy. The act begins with Sampson and Gregory, servants to the Capulet family, partaking in stereotypical male banter. Shakespeare makes this humorous, by his use of sexual innuendo. Sampson claims that he “will be cruel with the maids” of the Montague family and cut off their “maidenheads”. This refers to taking their virginity. This demonstrates the character’s disrespectful use of humour and is also very violent and dark. After this members of the Montague family enter and the dramatic action begins. It starts with Sampson “biting his thumb” which was an obscene gesture of the time; this is dramatically significant because it shows aggression and high emotion towards the Capulet family. This is ridiculous when it is introduced to the audience because the idea of family hatred that has gone on for years isn’t explained. This aggression is exposed when Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, says “I hate the word peace like I hate hell, all Montagues, and you.” This shows a great deal of the pointless hatred between the families. This also expresses that Tybalt is an angry, fiery cha...

... middle of paper ...

... second time it is Juliet who is the aggressor, and in one conversation she is suddenly mature enough to understand what she desires. This is illustrated by her claiming “Then have my lips the sin that they have took.” Although the sonnet is beautiful, it also serves a darker purpose. The prologue is also a sonnet sharing the same rhyme scheme as Romeo and Juliet’s shared sonnet. This again brings up themes of love and fate, and the foreshadowing of their untimely death. Shakespeare uses language brilliantly to express perfect love and link it to tragic fate, which carries a great deal of dramatic significance.

In conclusion Act 1 is crafted to set up the tragedy that later follows. The audience is aware from the beginning that Romeo and Juliet are doomed and therefore can see the dramatic significance of characters and events that are described in the first act.

Show More
Related

  • How Shakespeare Engages the Audience in Act I scene v

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    This is a very powerful scene and it is essential in engaging the audience in the play as a whole. Romeo and Juliet's use of the sonnet is an integral part of the scene. Its use of religious imagery and rhyming couplets is empowering over the audience. It centres the attention on Romeo and Juliet and isolates them from the hustle and bustle of the party. It is an intimate scene played in a crowded room.

    Read More

  • The Shortsighted Friar Lawrence in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's first authentic tragedy. It is about two lovers who commit suicide when their feuding families prevent them from being together. The play has many characters, each with its own role in keeping the plot line. Some characters have very little to do with the plot; but some have the plot revolving around them. While the character of Friar Lawrence spends only a little time on stage, he is crucial to the development of the conclusion of the play.

    Read More

  • Examining Shakespeare's Use of Act 1 Scene 5 to Set Up the Rest of the Play, Romeo and Juliet

    2987 Words  | 6 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet is the tragic story of two young, “star-crossed” lovers from feuding families, destined for disaster. The Capulets and the Montagues have an ancient grudge on one another that has been passed down over generations. Unfortunately, Romeo and Juliet end up victims of their families’ vicious loathing. Romeo and Juliet’s story has several intertwining themes such as the aforementioned hatred between the Capulets and Montagues and the revenge Romeo strives for after his friend Mercutio’s death. Also, the love and passion between Romeo and Juliet and the loyalty of Romeo and his friends. Honour and revenge also feature frquently throughout the play including Juliet’s pressure to honour her family, and the revenge Romeo sees as his duty when Tybalt kills Mercutio.

    Read More

  • Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the fair city of Verona, two rival families, the Montagues and Capulets were involved in a nasty family feud that goes back years before any of the members were born. Even the townspeople were involved in the dispute, because the families were always fighting in the streets and causing disturbances. They disrupted the streets of Verona and even Prince Escalus tried to break up the fighting. They were given a warning, by him that another public fight would result in death. While this was occurring, Romeo, (a Montague) the main character, was getting over his last love, Rosaline, and was very upset. Juliet of the Capulet household had just been introduced to a wealthy young man, Paris, whom her parents wished her to marry. Yet she did not love him. Romeo goes to a party in an effort to forget about Rosaline. At this party he met Juliet, and immediately fell in love with her. He later finds out that she is a Capulet, the rival family of the Montagues. He decides that he loves her anyway and they confess their love for each other during the very famous "balcony scene" in which they agreed to secretly marry the next day. Friar Lawrence agreed to marry them in an effort to end the feuding between the families. Unfortunately, the fighting gets worse and Mercutio (Montague) a good friend of Romeo ends up in a fight with Tybalt (Capulet), Juliet's cousin. Tybalt killed Mercutio, which caused Romeo to kill Tybalt in an angry rage. For this, Romeo is banished from Verona. At the same time, the Capulet's were planning Juliet's marriage to Paris. Juliet didn't want to marry this man so she arranges with Friar Lawrence to fake her own death with a sleeping potion that would make everyone think that she was dead. Friar Lawrence promised to send word to Romeo to meet her when the potion wears off and to rescue her to Mantua, where Romeo was currently staying. There they would live happily ever after. Unfortunately, Romeo didn't receive the message on time and upon hearing of her "death" went to Juliet's tomb where he drinks poison and dies. When Juliet's potion wears off, she wakes to find her lover's dead corpse. She then proceeds to stab herself with Romeo's dagger. The two families find the bodies and with their shared sorrow, finally make peace with each other.

    Read More

  • Fate in Romeo and Juliet

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the very first words of the play’s introduction, we are reminded of the lover’s fate in Romeo and Juliet and how it affects their world. The prologue in a work of literature is meant to introduce the story, as shakespeare so often does in his plays such as Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare introduces Romeo and Juliet with the lines “From forth the fatal loins of two foes/A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;Whose misadventured piteous overthrows/Do with their death bury their parents' strife.” (I.I.V-VIII) It may seem as if Shakespeare decided to spoil the end of his tragedy for his audience before it even started. In fact, some might have been angry at Shakesp...

    Read More

  • Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare

    626 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fate or choice? Choice or fate? How does one separate these ideals? Can one? Shakespeare could not. Nor can we. Fate and choice are so intertwined that our choices determine our fate, and our fate determines our choices. William Shakespeare trusts the audience to scrutinize whether it is fate or choice that rules our human life. Shakespeare aptly conveys this oxymoron (with which people have been dealing for ages) through the evidence and structure of his play, Romeo and Juliet.

    Read More

  • How Shakespeare Presents Love and the Problems of Love in Romeo and Juliet

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Act 1 scene 1 we see servants of the Capulet house. and Montague house quarrel in this instance the feud is introduced as well as demonstrated in the above. Shakespeare tries to help the audience to understand the complicity of the feud as it later causes numerous death. The snare of the snare. Later on in the scene Benvolio comes in and tries to keep the peace as he says “part fools”.

    Read More

  • Death Brought Eternity

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...been the concept of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. People in society know that Romeo and Juliet as ‘two people who had a forbidden love, and died as a result of one of them not wanting to live without each other. The structure of the entire story as a complete tragedy from the beginning to end really makes Romeo and Juliet's so called love overwhelming and even more heartbreaking because for the reason that the audience is completely aware of their brewing deaths. The journey of Romeo and Juliet is the compulsive cycle from intense love to powerful death. To conclude everything, it is shown through actions, words, and events that the theme that Shakespeare strongly portrayed in the story was death, because for the fact that it seemed that they thought that death was their only way for them to be together for eternity.

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing In Romeo And Juliet Act 1 Scene 5

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare introduces the reader to one of the main characters, who is describing their love at a banquet. Shakespeare’s passage in Act 1 Scene 5 conveys a foreshadow of death, that affects the way Romeo thinks about love, in order to understand its divineness.

    Read More

  • Romeo and Juliet Victims of Fate

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Firstly, the Capulets and Montagues are at odds with each other. Members of each house and servants break into a sword fight, clashing with each other. Sampson says "Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 60). The feuding between the two families motivates Sampson to challenge the Capulets. Another example of how the two houses despise each other is what Romeo and his friends have to do to get into the Capulet feast. So they will not be recognized, Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio wear comic masks to hide their faces. Mercutio says, "Give me a case to put my visage in" (Act 1, Scene 4, Line 29). They do not want to be recognized because of the hatred between the two houses. Also, Romeo and Juliet are not supposed to be in love: "My only love sprung from my only hate! / Too early seen unknown, and known too late! / Prodigious birth of love it is to me, / That I must love a loathed enemy." says Juliet (Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 137-140). They are not supposed to love each other because it just so happens that each of their houses despise each other. It is unfortunate for Romeo and Juliet that their two families are against each other, because this means that they are not supposed to be married.

    Read More

  • Examining How Act One, Scene One of Romeo and Juliet Raises the Audience's Expectations of the Rest of the Play

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    In act 1 scene 1, the characters are all individual and unique. Shakespeare has written this scene so that it starts from the lowest rank in the families, the servants, to the highest, the lords. By doing this, he has made the audience aware of the fact that everyone who is part of the families is also part of the battle. During this scene, we come across important characters these include: Benvolio, Tybalt, Lord Montague, Lord Capulet, Prince Escales and Romeo. Shakespeare has used the characters names to tell us what to expect them to be like for the rest of the life. The name Benvolio means good will, from this you can expect Benvolio not be involved in the battle. You can see this when he says “Part, fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do”. The name Tybalt means tyrant this makes you expect him to be a cruel person. You can also see this when he says “What drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montague’s and thee”. Prince Escales plays a big role in act 1 because he is the representation of law and order. If you remove the letter E from his name it spells scales this gives evidence that the Prince wants things to be balanced and he is serious. You can see this when he says “If ever you disturb our streets again. Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace”. For most c...

    Read More

  • The Dramatic Significance of Act III Scene I of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Dramatic Significance of Act III Scene I of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

    Read More

  • How Shakespeare Engages The Audience in "Romeo and Juliet"

    2456 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the tremendous play of ‘Romeo & Juliet’, Shakespeare’s ways engages the audience straight away. The astounding methods he uses hooks the audience into the play and allows them to read on, wondering what will happen. The tragic love story of Romeo & Juliet, as mentioned in the prologue, sets a variety of themes throughout Act 1 Scene 5. Many of the recognisable themes are: youth and age, revenge, forbidden love, fate, action and hate. The main idea of the play is a feud that had been going on between two families, The ‘Montagues and Capulets’, the son of the Montagues and the daughter of the Capulets fall in love and the story tells us how tragic, death, happiness and revenge find them throughout the play.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Conflict in Act 3 Scene 5 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy of an ancient feud where the children of two families at war fall deeply in love with each other. Set in the 16th century William Shakespeare’s play has many different themes running throughout it, which include love, hate, death and conflict. The play opens with a fight but ends with suicide that creates peace between both families who unite from their losses. The conflict, violence and aggression in the play happen from revenge and an ancient family grudge. An audience from the 16th century would have enjoyed Romeo and Juliet because of the real life drama and tragedy the play goes through. The patriarchal society gave women absolutely no rights and they had to obey their man’s ordering a patriarchal system. The theme of conflict is revealed as the characters argue over Juliet’s disobedience.

    Read More

  • The Dramatic Significance of Act 3, Scene 1 in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Dramatic Significance of Act 3, Scene 1 in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet, one of the most famous love stories ever written. It is a typical love story, girl meets boy, and they like each other, but they had distinctive troubles, as their families were feuding, thus they are unable to see each other. In this play though, there is a difference, it has dramatic significance. Dramatic significance is when the play has depth and meaning, which influences the rest of the story. Romeo kills Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, which results in Romeo being banished from Verona.

    Read More

More about Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

Open Document