Analysis of Act 3 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Analysis of Act 3 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare In Act 3 Scene 5, Shakespeare presents the audience with a compact

tragedy. By referring to his characters, in particular Juliet, show

how successful he is.

Act 3, scene 5, is particularly worth studying because within it

Shakespeare cleverly shows a dramatic decline in Juliet’s character,

and has the audience gripped because of the tension he creates. At the

beginning of the scene, Juliet awakes as a happily married bride.

However, as the scene progresses, her situation swiftly declines. By

the end of the scene, she has been disowned by both her parents and

the nurse, with whom she previously shared a close relationship.

However, Juliet despite (or maybe because of) her situation shows her

maturity by defying her parents for the first time in her life. She

also shows her intelligence by cleverly using ambiguous language in

order to trick her parents and remain true to Romeo.

Shakespeare opens the scene opens with a very tranquil mood. Juliet

awakens to her husband, but refuses to acknowledge the danger of

Romeo’s presence, she tries instead to convince him that it is still

night, “It is not yet near day…fearful hollow of thine ear”. She

refuses to acknowledge the lark (the bird of the morning) declaring

instead that it is the Nightingale. Her actions and words here clearly

show that she is so happy, she is prepared to deny reality in order to

make the moment last. However, Juliet soon snaps out of her

‘love-dream’ when Romeo declares he will stay and die if “Juliet wills

it so”. It is now that sh...

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...nce sees her as a young, mature woman who has lost everything

and is prepared to die, and for this (despite her tragic situation)

the audience respect her enormously.

From the beginning of the scene to the end, Shakespeare rapidly shifts

the mood as he develops the tragedy. The audience now view Juliet

differently than they did at the beginning of the scene. They now feel

great sympathy for her, whereas at the beginning of the scene, they

saw her as a young woman with good prospects whom could be admired.

Her attitude has also changed from naïve and innocent to determined

and independent. The audience knows that a tragedy is developing. They

can see Juliet’s situation decline as she uncontrollably spins into a

desolate situation which they know will only get worse from listening

to the chorus in the opening prologue.