Dramatic Tension in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Dramatic Tension in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays,

and was written by the Bard around the end of the sixteenth century.

Though in actually fact, Romeo and Juliet was not an original story.

Elizabethan audiences would not have expected fresh stories all the

time, but "modern" adaptations of classic stories. Romeo and Juliet's

plot dates back much further than the late 16th century, but existed

in variations, such as Pyrimus and Thisbe, that were adapted and

re-written by Shakespeare. Shakespeare's genius does not lie in

creating such a gripping story, but in telling the story in such a

gripping way, so much so that even though everyone knows the tragic

ending, it still has modern audiences on the edges of their seats. How

does Shakespeare do this? The key to this is dramatic irony. Dramatic

irony means that the audience knows more than the characters do,

creating that shouting-at-ethe-screenthe ttttttttttttttthe-screen,

"No-she's-not-really-dead!" desire for everything to turn out alright,

even though we know it won't. Shakespeare also covers many themes and

emotions in his play, imbuing the text with a sense of truth and

wisdom that still rings true.

Shakespeare wisely chose to open his play with a short prologue, a

short speech which sets the background for the play, and basically

tells us what is going to happen in the play. This might seem slightly

pointless and illogical; why tell the story in one verse at the

beginning of the play, therefore spoiling the ending? This is because

Shakespeare's audience knew what was going to happen, so the ending

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... show the extent of his contempt for the Capulets.

It is also notable that Mercutio uses alliteration (head, heel). If he

had used another oath such as "my foot" it would not have been

stichomythia. A more modern and accessible example would be Dr. Seuss'

poem, Green Eggs and Ham; "Will you eat green eggs and ham, [something

something] Sam-I-Am," "I will not eat green eggs and ham, [something

something] Sam-I-Am".

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Although Shakespeare wrote his plays and sonnets 400 years ago, his

writing remains the blueprint for plays, films and books today. The

way in which he mixed comedy and pathos, romance and action, is still

the holy grail of writers today, and few writers today can write with

this blend of emotions as seamlessly as William Shakespeare did four

hundred years ago.