The Role of Act 3 Scene 1 and Act 3 Scene 5 in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

The Role of Act 3 Scene 1 and Act 3 Scene 5 in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

There are several incidents that take place during the course of the

play that prepare us, the audience, for the plays tragic end.

Shakespeare manages to use several devices to prepare us for the plays

tragic end. He uses a prologue at the beginning to give us a brief

idea about the play. Devices such as omens, premonitions, soliloquies

and changes in mood and atmosphere are all very effective when

preparing us for the tragedy. I will be focusing on Act 3 Scene 1 and

Act 3 Scene 5 but I will be referring to other incidents that take

place at different times in the play.

The prologue is a very strong and effective way of preparing us, the

audience, for the plays tragic end. It describes two noble households,

the Montagues and the Capulets, living in the city of Verona. The

houses hold an “ancient grudge” against each other. This grudge has

broke into “new mutiny.” This tells us that the feud between the two

families has been going on for a long time and has now been

‘re-ignited.’ This grudge remains the source of violent and bloody

conflict throughout the play. The prologue states that from these two

houses, “two star-crossed lovers” will appear. It refers to the couple

as ill fated because the use of such words like “star-crossed” means

literally against the stars. In Shakespearian times the stars were

believed to control people’s destinies. Fate also seems to be a strong

element in the prologue and throughout the play. Although fate is not

referred to directly, the prologue creates the sense of fate by

providing the audience with the knowledge ...

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...orror that fate will cause in the last scene of the play.

Within three hours Juliet will awaken from her trance, and Romeo will

not be there to take her away. Fate forces him to get more deeply

involved in the deception he has begun, and he seems somewhat

overwhelmed. The Friar decides to hasten to the tomb and bring Juliet

to his cell when she wakens; the lovers can be reunited later. Friar

Lawrence has no way of knowing that Romeo has already heard about

Juliet’s death and has hastened to Verona. With Friar Lawrence having

no reason to believe that Romeo is already aware of the death of

Juliet, fate takes it’s course and the “two star-crossed lovers…take

their life.”

The events that take place during Act 3 Scene 2 and Act 3 Scene 5 are

very successful when preparing us, the audience, for the plays tragic

end.