The Importance Of Act 1 Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

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The Importance Of Act 1 Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a love story about two "star-crossed lovers" who

are from rival families, the Capulets and the Montagues, that have

been arguing for years, they meet and fall in love at first sight, the

story contains various points to change what is happening in the play

concerning plot, character, theme and dramatic power. But Act 1 Scene

5 could possibly be the main turning point.

Concerning plot this scene changes the whole story, before this scene

Romeo is convinced that he is in love with Rosaline, he is depressed

because she does not love him or because he knows that nothing can

become of it because she is more important than he is, he expresses

this love using oxymorons in Act 1 Scene 5,

"O Heavy Lightness, Serious vanity,

Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,

Father of Lead, Bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,

Still-waking sleep."

It was fashionable in love poetry of Shakespeare's time to put

together such contradictory words, these strange words are a clever

way of expressing emotions, for example 'Misshapen chaos of

well-seeming forms', this means that in the physiological world the

forms are well-seeming, but he feels misshapen and chaotic. But this

love that was eternal which nothing could change diminishes when Romeo

saw Juliet for the first time at Capulets ball, love at first sight if

you will, this dramatic irony was expected because it was told in the

prologue, the prologue is a Sonnet written in Iambic pentameter, it

takes the form of a Greek chorus, which was traditional in stories of

this time and type. The prologue states that Romeo and Juliet are

'Star crossed lovers' meaning that their being together is fate,

nothing can change it, not even the fact that they are from separate

families. So already we are seeing the importance of this Scene, Romeo

has forgotten about Rosaline at one glance, this makes you wonder

whether he was really in love with Rosaline, or did he just want to be

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