Exploring the Ways that Shakespeare Makes Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet Dramatically Effective

Exploring the Ways that Shakespeare Makes Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet Dramatically Effective

Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story, where Romeo and Juliet fall

in love but soon find out that their love is forbidden as they are

from separate houses, the Montague and Capulet houses. They have to

hide their love from their parent, problem a rise which causes death

for both of the lovers and friends. There are many things that the

prologue sets up. It sets it up the story as a tragic love story. It

also sets up a situation of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the

audience knows something that the characters don't. I think this gives

the play theatricality. Also as if destiny has brought Romeo and

Juliet together, they are 'a pair of star-cross'd lovers.' (Line 8 in

the Prologue) In the Elizabethan times people believed that the stars

held the fate, more so then now. The prologue also sets up conflict;

there are some obvious conflicts love, hate, war and peace. There is

also birth 'from forth the fatal loins of thee two foes.' (Line 7 in

the Prologue) and death 'Where civil blood makes civil hand unclean'.

(Line 6 in the Prologue). The prologue is written as a sonnet having

14 lines; it is written with iambic pentameter. This makes it

different from the rest of the play as the characters speak in prose

or blank verse most of the time. The rhyme of the prologue I think

gives you an impression of impending doom. The role of the chorus is a

like having a narrator to comment on the action from a removed stand

point. They have there roots in Greek theatre. The audience

expectations of Act 1 scene 5 is that Romeo who have previously bee...

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... are gone.'

Shakespeare has made Act 1 scene 5 dramatically effective because of

the use of rhyming couplets, blank verses and the sonnet. Also Act 1

scene 5 is at the beginning of the tragedy, wheels are set in motion

Juliet and Romeo fall in love. There are a few themes in Act 1 scene 5

these are love and hate, peace and war. These are still relative for

the audience today so they can relate to this. During Act 1 scene 5

Capulet's characteristics are of a joyful man and that he is laid back

as he doesn't care that Romeo he enemy is at his party, but later on

in the play his characteristics change into an overprotective father.

To the audience Tybalt is the villain in the play as he wants to kill

Romeo when he sees Romeo at the party. So overall I think that

Shakespeare has made Act 1 scene 5 dramatically effective.