Examining Shakespeare's Use of Act 1 Scene 5 to Set Up the Rest of the Play, Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is the tragic story of two young, “star-crossed” lovers from feuding families, destined for disaster. The Capulets and the Montagues have an ancient grudge on one another that has been passed down over generations. Unfortunately, Romeo and Juliet end up victims of their families’ vicious loathing. Romeo and Juliet’s story has several intertwining themes such as the aforementioned hatred between the Capulets and Montagues and the revenge Romeo strives for after his friend Mercutio’s death. Also, the love and passion between Romeo and Juliet and the loyalty of Romeo and his friends. Honour and revenge also feature frquently throughout the play including Juliet’s pressure to honour her family, and the revenge Romeo sees as his duty when Tybalt kills Mercutio.

Opening the performance is the chorus who, uncommonly, explains the whole plot in just 14 lines before the play has even properly started. This is not commonplace in a play as it leaves no suspence. However, it would intrigue the audience who will want to stay and find out how and why the events told in the prologue happen.

Before Romeo and Juliet meet, the audience know that Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet. The audience is also aware that Romeo is deeply in love with a Rosaline, who does not return his feelings. Because of this, Romeo is somewhat depressed. He walks around at night crying and during the day he “makes himself an artificial night” in his bedroom, meaning that he shuts himself in his room all day with the curtains drawn, as Lord Montague says in Act 1 Scene 1. In Act 1 Scene 2, Lord Capulet informs the audience that Juliet is fourteen by saying, “ she hath not seen the change of fourteen years,” when Paris, a wealthy kinsma...

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...rt”. She wants to see Romeo again so asks the Nurse to go to Friar Lawrence’s cell. Therefore the events of Act 3 Scene 1 strengthened Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, making them less able to live without each other. Had Shakespeare not used Act 3 Scene 1 to set up the rest of the play, Romeo and Juliet’s relationship would not have been intensified by the drama and trauma of the scene. It may have weakened as the exciting first phase of their relationship and marraige came to an end. If consiquently they were less in love with eachother, they may not have gone to such extreme lengths to be with eachother and may have not felt the need to end their own lives at the thought of living without their spouse. Act 3 Scene 1 has more effect on the future of the plot and the characters, therefore sets up the rest of the play substationally more than Act 1 Scene 5 does.