Literary Techniques In Act I, Scene V of Romeo and Juliet

In this essay I will be talking about how Shakespeare’s use of language and structure in Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet creates drama. I will be examining the dramatic techniques that Shakespeare uses such as dramatic irony to create drama. I will be exploring and analysing how this scene reflects the play’s themes for instance love, Shakespeare’s world, what Shakespeare wants the audience to understand about life and finally how his (Shakespeare) use of language and structure in Act 1 Scene 5 will affect the audience.

Shakespeare creates drama in Act 1 Scene 5 by reflecting the play’s themes in his language. He makes the scene even more dramatic by using emotional language to describe characters and then contrasting this emotional language with the themes of the play.’ So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady o’er her fellows shows’. This quote shows how Shakespeare uses emotive language to describe how beautiful Juliet is and how she stands out from the other woman like a dove in the middle of a flock of crows. Then he associates this emotive language to the theme of love to demonstrate Romeo’s love/feelings for Juliet, ‘Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er true beauty till this night’. This quote shows how Shakespeare contrasts language with the themes of the play to create drama. ‘If I profane with my unworthiest word hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss’. This quote is when Romeo and Juliet first meet. Once again, in this quote Shakespeare uses emotional language and contrasts it with the theme of religion to reflect the play’s themes. His use of verse when describing Juliet also uses...

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...hemes in the language as I have shown above. This is how Shakespeare structures this scene to create drama by reflecting the play’s themes.

Finally to conclude this essay, Shakespeare juxtapositions poignant language with themes of the play to create drama right the way through this scene. He uses dramatic irony in his language and structure throughout this scene to create suspense, so that he can make the audience can feel this suspense and start to ask themselves questions. He uses his effective language and precise structure, so that he can make the audience realize what life is like. In my opinion this scene is a very important scene as this is where Romeo and Juliet first meet. It is also important as this is where I think the most drama is created and at long last his creativity and twists and turns make this scene one of the brilliant scenes of this play.