Romeo and Juliet - Book Report/Review Example

The musical West Side Story famously opens with members of the rival gangs crossing paths and setting the stage for the inevitable rumble. That musical was based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and it is easy to see where the creators of the musical got the inspiration. Act one, scene one of Shakespeare's play sets the stage for all the action that is to come later in the play by introducing the feud between the houses of Capulet and Montague as well as introducing many of the important characters.

Oddly, however, the two title characters play little or no part in this most important scene.The act opens with two servants of the Capulets walking through Verona and joking about conquesting both Montague women and men. Anger is an energy and the energy built up by this disrespecting of the Montagues comes to a boil when two servants of that house are seen by Sampson and Gregory. A funny little scene involving a rude gesture and insulting words soon erupts into something far more serious both dramatically and thematically.

The love story of Romeo and Juliet turns tragic later in the play because of an insult over masculine honor. Act one, scene one foreshadows that scene with the introduction of a major player involved in the tragic turn, Tybalt. Tybalt cries out "As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee" (Shakespeare 1.1.65) to Benvolio as the feud escalates beyond the servants to actual family members of the noble houses. Eventually, Montague and Capulet arrive on the scene and it is only because of their respective wives that these two old men are not fighting when Prince Escalus arrives to bring order.

Act one begins with the punning humor of two lowly servants and in less than 75 lines has seen the introductions of distant relatives of members of two noble families, the heads of those families and ultimately the Prince. The Prince arrives, sees the madness taking place due to the longstanding feud between the Montagues and Capulets and promptly sets down an edict of punishment for those found feuding on the streets of Verona again: "Your lives shall pay the forfeit of that peace" (Shakespeare 1.1.91).

Missing from the cast of characters who will play such an important part in the play, missing from the cast of characters involved in the defense of masculine honor, is Romeo himself. After everyone else disperses, Montague's wife asks Benvolio where exactly was Romeo. Romeo's cousin answers that he saw her son earlier in the day walking among the trees outside the city. Montague and his wife express concern about their son's melancholy. When Benvolio sees Romeo approaching, he promises to find out what exactly is causing Romeo to make of "himself an artificial night" (Shakespeare 1.1.135).

As they speak, Benvolio discovers that Romeo is in love with a woman who does not return his love. Interestingly, the woman he is pining for is not Juliet. Also of interest is the fact that Romeo dismisses fray that recently took place as part of the feud. In the first act Romeo is of no consequence in the fighting between the two houses, and is hopelessly in love with someone other than Juliet. Considering his absence from the effects of the feud that kicks off the events of the play, it is quite ironic that the tragic circumstances will turn on Romeo's undying love for a girl he has yet to meet and his stabbing to death one of the most fearsome swordsmen in Verona.

Act one, scene one begins with an exciting fight scene and ends with declarations of love. Both fight scenes and love scenes will commingle throughout the rest of play, leading to the tragic downfall with which the play ends.