Romeo and Juliet Act I, Scene V - Coursework Example

Romeo and Juliet: Act I, Scene V “Romeo and Juliet” is a tragic love story written by William Shakespeare, in which the central conflict is that of forbidden love between two people of opposing families. Love and hatred are constantly played upon throughout the course of the play. Prior to Romeo and Juliet meeting each other, the audience is already aware of the two the people, as well as their positions against each other. By this time, the audience is already expecting for Romeo and Juliet to meet each other and to be taken by one another. They also realize that, due to both of them being a part of opposing families that there will be devastation, as they will definitely find out about who the other person is. The dramatic effect that is offered in the opening of the fifth scene in the first act is the typical rush and concern that comes with preparing a large gathering of people. To the servants, it becomes clear that not everybody is going to want to help or pull their weight in making sure the preparations are as they should be. Furthermore, the audience is able to see the kind of environment that Juliet lives in, on in which people are too uptight and are more concerned with immediate appearance, rather than what really counts among people. The opening lines of dialogue and action set the audience up for the events about to take place. As for Capulet’s speech, it finishes the job in showing the audience, as well as the people of the play, what kind of people the family consists of. Though considering himself much too old to dance, he taunts the women who do not want to or are otherwise unable to, having no regard to their feelings or say in the matter. All the same, the people at the party take the rather abrasive humor in stride, accepting it as teasing and welcoming. Romeo’s romantic, heart-filled speech provides an interesting contrast to the speech previously given by Capulet. It clearly shows the premature love that he feels for Juliet, although he knows absolutely nothing about her. He is convinced that he has never known true beauty or love until his eyes rested on Juliet’s beauty. The party almost seems to cease momentarily as Romeo gives this passionate speech. However, regardless of how beautiful and warm Romeo’s speech is, his serious personality pales in contrast to the light, cheeriness of Capulet when he gave his speech at the beginning of the party. Once again, the tension of the party is mounted when Tybalt makes his emotions towards Romeo very clear. He knows that Romeo is of an enemy house, and he wants to act out upon this. His speech is harsh and unwarranted, as Romeo is simply trying to have a good time at the feast. While Romeo’s speech was filled of love and wonder, Tybalt’s speech was filled with angst and hatred so strong that it was all he could do to avoid causing a scene at the feast. The audience is almost expecting Tybalt to lash out physically, though he controls himself to the best of his ability when Capulet intervenes. Capulet is taken back by Tybalt’s harsh reactions to Romeo’s presence and demands that Tybalt backs down at once. Capulet regards Romeo as an equal, regardless of the house that he comes from, and he expects Tybalt to treat him as such. The meeting between Romeo and Juliet may be a dramatic seen, but it also reeks of cliches. While Romeo’s words are kind and doting, they still seem to lack a certain respect when he goes in almost immediately for a kiss from her. She seems to enjoy is loving teasing, though, returning it herself when she makes the notion to kiss him back. Indeed, she shares in the same joke of using a religious concept to condone them kissing each other upon only knowing one another for a few seconds. The moment shared between the two is sweet, delicate, yet it seems rushed for something that Romeo claims to be genuine and from the heart. What Romeo is feeling for Juliet seems to be more infatuation than real love. It is widely believed that it takes more than a simple gaze upon a person and thirty seconds to decide on whether or not someone is in love. Furthermore, Romeo decided he was in love before he had actually met Juliet. The entire scene in which the two of them first met was rushed, going at a pace not normal to be considered true love. Even romantic aspects such as kissing and holding hands are turned into jokes by Romeo and Juliet, not taking seriously the foundation of real, honest love. What Romeo feels for Rosaline is more true than what he claims to feel for Juliet. Both Romeo and Juliet are dismayed when they realize that they belong to enemy families. Romeo cannot believe his lack of fortune and Juliet is upset that the only man she loves is considered to be an enemy. The drama in this scene is very obvious, as the two had fallen immediately in love with each other, just to find out that there is no way that their families would actually allow them to be together. At this point, the audience is unaware of what is going to happen next, as the scene ends with Romeo and Juliet leave the feast, troubled by what they have learned. The conflict has risen and the audience is unsure of what is going to happen now that Romeo and Juliet know where the other comes from. Shakespeare made the scene dramatically effective enough, implementing both romance and tragedy in the same scene. Hearts raced and hopes are raised when Romeo made his existence known to Juliet, who immediately responded in a similar fashion. After a few moments of flirting, they were pulled from each other, and then made known that each came from an opposing family. By using both romance and tragedy, a dramatic scene is effectively set established, making room for even more disaster as the conflict worsens. This scene is crucial to the rest of the play because it is the scene in which the premises for the rest of the story are laid down. “Romeo and Juliet” is a play about the conflicts of love and hatred, concepts that would not have been known if Romeo and Juliet hadn’t met each other. Love and hate are still relevant to the audience in this present day due to love and hate still being present in many relationships in which family members do not approve of the mates of others. This scene effectively shows this idea, though holding tight to the fact that Romeo and Juliet still did not disown each other upon finding out who they really are. Read More