How Shakespeare Made the First Scene of Romeo and Juliet Grab the Audience's Attention

There were many problems faced by Shakespeare when he wrote this scene 400 years ago, there were no lighting so he would have to do his shows when the sun is at its highest point, there were no microphones at that time so his actors would have to shout over the audience so that everyone could here and there was no security for the actors or so of the audience.One of the main problems faced by Shakespeare was the audience. This was because they were rowdy, restless, and very loud, compared to a modern time theater where the audience is quiet and well presented. Then there was the issue of special effects and sound. Another problem he faced was introducing the characters, scenes. He therefore had to find a way of grabbing their attention straight away and getting them interested in the play. The way he did this was by getting the first two characters (which are two servant Capulets) involved in a sort of mocking conversation about the Montagues. He used two servants because they were of a lower status and that it would not be as peculiar for lords and ladies to be involved in a conversation of that sort. As quoted by Sampson “a dog of the house Montague moves me” the use of the word dog emphasizes the hatred and the little respect they have for the Montague’s, so straight away the audience can already feel the hatred between them. Also the use of “I will be cruel with their maids, and cut off their heads.” This means I will take their women and rape them. This automatically gets their attention because of the foul language. The moment it is mentioned people turn around and listen, they also learn about the two characters personalities, that they are disrespectful and do not care about what they are saying. Also to show that there i...

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...d says “examine other beauties” The males in the audience can identify with him that if someone does not love you back there are other people, whereas the females in the audience will feel sympathy for Romeo because he is really confused about love and does not know what to do.

Therefore I think Shakespeare has made act 1 scene 1 Romeo and Juliet dramatically effective by the way has been able to get the audience’s attention. He does this by getting two servants involved in a rude conversation about the Montagues to stop and aggravate to opposing servants which are ironically Montagues and starts a massive street brawl ( this would have on a small stage with lots of men fighting so the audience would have been astounded.) moments later he introduces Romeo and it is a complete change and different atmosphere. From hatred it as become as peaceful and loving place.