Dramatic Effects in Act 3 Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

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Dramatic Effects in Act 3 Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet ‘Romeo and Juliet’, is a story of two young lovers, whose love was destined for destruction. They did not imagine that their love would lead to the tragedies that it did but with the constant pressures from their feuding families it soon ended in their tragic demise. Act 3 Scene 5 is of great importance since it reveals the anxious feelings and emotions of many characters. Events occur here, which have long-term consequences for the rest of the plays events; hence the scene can be viewed as a turning point. Act 3 Scene 5 starts off in Juliet’s bedroom. The atmosphere is calm and quiet and shows intimacy between the two. Juliet awakes to the sound of a bird singing which she thinks is the nightingale symbolically the night bird. She is desperate to keep Romeo with her, almost convincing him to stay, but he is more reluctant. Romeo appears more edgy and alert and is certain, that it is the day bird the lark, as he can now see the light. He uses the metaphor ‘The night’s candles are burnt out’, meaning the stars have been burnt from the night sky. Light normally represents hope but this time is symbolising danger for him. Juliet is making excuses for Romeo to stay, she says the light he can see is a meteor and when he does eventually depart it will act as a guide for him. Romeo decides to stay; he is willing to put his life at risk and will accept death to be with Juliet. The audience reaction is now edgy and nervous in fear of them getting caught. Fear and understanding finally set in and Juliet tells Romeo to go: ‘It is, it is! Hie hence, be gone,... ... middle of paper ... ... know his remedy: If all else fail, myself have power to die.’ Juliet decides to go Friar Laurence for help, as her relationship with the Nurse is now torn apart, before they were like Mother and daughter but now the intimacy has gone. Juliet here even goes so far as to label the Nurse as devil-like, cursing her dramatically so the viewers would be shocked. Again, the threat of suicide if there is no way of Friar Lawrence resolving her dilemma gives a fearful feeling to the scene’s end, making viewers want to continue watching the rest of the play. Act 3 Scene 5 is a highly dramatic section of the play. The characters and their wild emotions make this so, along with the intense, cramped setting and the range of effective language techniques, such as ambiguous language and metaphors, used my Shakespeare throughout it.

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