The Changing Moods and Feelings of Romeo and Juliet in Act 2 Scene 2

The Changing Moods and Feelings of Romeo and Juliet in Act 2 Scene 2

Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene 2 is known more famously as the balcony

scene. The significance of Act 2 Scene 2 is to convey Romeo and

Juliet's love for each other, but the fact they cannot touch

symbolises that because of the flares and tensions between the two

families they come from (Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet). They will

never be able to join each other and get married happily, without

having to run away and leave all their families and friends and

livelihoods behind.

In lines 1-9, Romeo is trying to distinguish himself from all the

other Montague young men. His very first line 'He jests at scars that

have never felt a wound' is a dismissive comment on Mercutio's joking

about love. Just as someone who has never been wounded can joke about

a soldier's battle scars, so someone who has never been in love finds

it easy to joke about the sufferings of a person deeply in love. He

goes on about how he is infatuated with Juliet; also he is hinting

that love seems to have created pain for him. Though he only met

Juliet several hours ago for the first time, he says: 'Arise, fair

sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with

grief'. He seems to think of himself as the moon, which is being

tormented so badly by the sun (Juliet and love symbolising the sun),

that he wants the sun to kill him, as the grief of waiting is too

much.