Shakespeare's Act I Scene I of Romeo and Juliet as Dramatically Effective

Shakespeare's Act I Scene I of Romeo and Juliet as Dramatically Effective

The predominant themes of the play are love and hate, and the idea of

honor, which are dramatized into a tragic love story. We learn this

from the prologue “ A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life”.

Also in the prologue it outlines these themes- hate from two families

(set in Verona, Italy), which have been quarreling for decades “From

ancient grudge break to new mutiny” that convey an element of conflict

in the play. The theme of love is a young man (Romeo) from one family

that falls in love with a young woman (Juliet) from another family;

which results in both the families being involved in this feud. In

this scene Shakespeare introduces these main themes immediately. In

Act I Scene i we see this being acted out by Tybalt and Benvolio.

Therefore with an opening full of rousing action it captures the

audience’s attention instantly. We also get an insight into the other

key characters of the play in this scene; Montague and Lady Montague,

Capulet and Lady Capulet, Romeo, the servants of Capulet; Sampson and

Gregory.

The origin of the brawl starts with the two servants quarrelling. This

introduces the importance of the theme of manly honor. Masculine honor

does not function in the play as some sort of stoic indifference to

pain or insult. The men feel as if they must defend their honor

whenever it is tested against, in the form of violence or verbal

abuse. Tybalt, Gregory and Sampson animate the theme of manly honor

perfectly. As we see in the scene when Sampson bites his thumb: which

was considered a very offensive gesture at this time. The atmosphere

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...Montague feud and the stupidity of violence in

general. Therefore, we get a glimpse of the relevant themes from the

start. All of this contributes into capturing the audiences’ attention

so that this that is happening on stage enthralls them. Shakespeare

has purposefully done this, and has been successful in making the

scene dramatically effective from the beginning to the ending of the

scene.

Personally I thoroughly enjoyed this scene as it outlines the entire

play just in the opening, so we know what is going to happen from the

prologue but we are eagerly waiting to know how it happens. We as the

audience get an excellent insight to the contradicting mix of

characters and we want to see how they are developed in the play.

Therefore Shakespeare gives us a taste, but as the action unfolds we

are hungering for more.