The Importance of the First Scene in the Film Version of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and juliet written in 1595, is one of the most famous plays of the 16th century, set in Verona. It was cleverly written by William Shakespeare, who is one of the most renowned writers of all time and the play was later produced as movie in 1996 staring Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes. The play is still popular as it contains universal themes of love and hate that can still be related to today.

One of the importances of the first scene of the play is to introduce the audience to the majority of the lead charecters such as Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio and Tybalt, Sampson and Gregory, Lord and Lady Capulet, Lord and Lady Montague and Prince. Along with the different themes and use of language, which varies from crude to poetic, insultive to sexual. The use of language in the first scene straight away draws in the attention of the audience as it's got a genre to suit anyones taste. Shakespeare straight away gives all the background information needed to understand the main goings on in the play along with excitment and different leagues of power.It becomes clear that there is an ancient grudge between the Montagues and Capulets which later leads to a tragic ending, this is portrayed by the fight on the street of Verona between Sampson and Gregory from the house of Montague against Tybalt and Benvolio from the Capulets. It's started by The Capulets when they bite thier thumbs at the Montagues when they see them in the streets of Verona.'Bite their thumbs' is an insulting and rude phrase used back then and in this scene there are lots of more insulting lines and puns which quickly shows you can clearly see the cocky attitudes and rivalry between the two houses however even though Benvolio and Tybalt are both Capulets, their per...

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... first scene prepares you for the rest of the play by including different ways of speech in different characters this makes the audience more interested and excited in the play, the oxymoron’s and sexual humour towards different characters in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare engages the audience to want to carry on watching the play by ending the scene with Benvolio trying to convince Romeo to find somebody else "I have a soul of lead so stakes me to the ground I cannot move.” This shows dark imagery for the audience on Romeo’s behalf. Even though the audience is already informed that Romeo will find somebody else and that person will be Juliet, the dark imagery used for Rosaline makes the audience more interested as to how he will find Juliet and how quickly it will take for them both to fall in love, despite the two being star crossed lovers. Doomed from the start.