The Role of Act 1 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in the Entire Play
‘Romeo and Juliet’ is an example of a Shakespearean tragedy, which is
the polar opposite of a comedy (This means its totally different in
every way). In other words, it is a drama with an unhappy ending. The
play was also intended for the Elizabethan theatre, which was arranged
in a different way to our theatres nowadays. The stage used to be set
out with three different levels, which was perfect for some of the
scenes in Romeo and Juliet (e.g. the balcony scene) and there were
different areas for the audience to watch the production. There were
seats for the more wealthy people and there was a pit for the
peasants. Having both the wealthy and the peasants watching the show
was good for the performance, because the peasants used to heckle at
the actors along with the rich people and they both used to get
involved in the play. Shakespeare’s plays were written for everyone
that wanted to watch them. His plays were not just written for the
wealthy. Also the actors were just normal people. The actors were not
famous; they had just learnt the lines and put on a performance.
‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a play not a book, it is meant to be performed
not read. Many people refer to it as a book but it’s not, it’s a play.
In act 1 there are a lot events that dramatically effect the rest of
the play dramatically. Some of these events are: The Prince’s sentence
is passed on the two families after another fight in Verona, Juliet’s
rejection of Paris and the Capulet’s promise that he would not force
her to marry him, Peter wrongly informs and invites Romeo, Benvolio
and the ...
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...ard!’
If this were not done Tybalt would not be made out to be so mean and
angry. Using blank verse also gives more effect of the tension
building between him and the Montagues.
As we progress through the play we notice the build up of dramatic
tension Tybalt has with the Capulets. It goes up in stages and ends
with a climax (Tybalt’s death).
So in conclusion I would say that it can be said that the events in
Act One, influence the rest of the play and the death of the
“star-crossed lovers”, enormously. This is because if the main events
that I have analysed previously did not happen, then the rest of the
play would not have turned out how it did. Each event leads (in one
way or another) to the death of the “star-crossed lovers” and
therefore influences the rest of the on-going events throughout the
play.