Explore the ways Shakespeare makes Act One, Scene Five dramatically effective Essay Example For Students

Explore the ways Shakespeare makes Act One, Scene Five dramatically effective Essay One of the many reasons as to why Shakespeare is regarded as one of the most talented playwrights to have ever existed, is his extraordinary ability to make many aspects of his plays so dramatically effective, to beguile and enthral the audience. Many playwrights have often tried to encompass this element of Shakespeare in their own work, but many without succession, finding themselves incapable of capturing that very essence that makes Shakespeares work so effectual. The play Romeo and Juliet is a prime example of Shakespeares great talent for creating a work of immense dramatic achievement, by using many techniques to further accentuate the raw emotions of the storyline. On a basic level, Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two young lovers, from opposing sides of two families that have shared a life long conflict, and how they strive to be together. The story culminates with the tragic death of both young lovers, and it is this death that eventually ends the feud between the families. However, the many dramatic devices, which Shakespeare uses, serve to intensify the very simplistic storyline, and to present it on a level of greater depth, in a way that increases the enjoyment of the audience with great effect. We can learn this basic outline of the plot from the prologue, which is designed to introduce the story anyway, beginning with the establishment of the two rivalling households, of equal social status, and the star-crossd lovers (Romeo and Juliet), who emerge from these opposing sides, and with the taking of their own lives, bury their parents strife, e.g. end the ancient family feud. The prologue is fundamental in introducing the plays focus on the themes of contrast, Capulet and Montague, order and mayhem, and most essentially; love and hate, the pivotal element of the play. The contrasting themes are present throughout the entirety of the play, and build up in proportion to each other, in order to make the play more dramatically effective, and the theme of hate and love is essential in the development of the play. The scenes prior to Scene Five are imperative in establishing a basis for the scene in which Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time. The audience needs to establish a basic understanding of the central characters in the play, in order to build expectations for when the scene commences, and Scenes One Four serve this purpose. The sonnet form of the prologue, unusual in the sense that is a form of poetry usually reserved for a lover to give to his beloved, presents the idea of structure and order, being a very structured form of prose, and this initial order is used to create contrast with the immediate scene of disarray that follows. With the arrival of the Capulet servants, and the fighting that ensues, the sharp contrast is shown, and thus we are set up for the rest of the play, which deals with conflicting images, as represented in the initial scene by the way that it is the servants who lead the noblemen to fight, how the violence takes part in broad daylight, as opposed to nig ht, and how the more senior members of the family try to deny their old age and amalgamate with the youths. This first scene is satiated with sexual innuendo, which is present throughout the play, and serves to underlie the love affair of Romeo and Juliet, and how it was forbidden. Scene One is used primarily to introduce the rivalry of the two houses to the audience, and serves to give an impression of many of the characters that are of substantial significance in Scene Five. For example, we are introduced to Tybalt, Juliets cousin, as a violent man, proud of his family name, and always looking for a fight. In contrast, we are introduced to Romeo at the end of the scene, as a lovesick boy, who believes himself to be in love with Rosaline, (although we do not yet know this to be her name), and that this love is unrequited. It is in Scene Two, that we learn of the Capulet ball, which is to be thrown in order to allow Juliet and her possible suitor, Paris, to meet. Capulet is keen for her daughter to marry, but he is a good father, and does not want her to be unhappy. The use of rhyming couplets serve to move the play on quickly, so that it moves on to the part in which Benvolio and Romeo learn about the Capulets ball, and Benvolio suggests that they attend it, with the intention of allowing Romeo to forget about Rosaline. Scene three is the scene, in which we are first introduced to Juliet, and her nurse, not an extremely pivotal character, but one who is important for providing dramatic information to both lovers, at the end of Scene Five. She is also very close to Juliet, having nursed her from a young age, and probably knows more about Juliet than anybody else does. Her mother is recommending the marriage to Paris, and we become aware of Juliets attitude to marriage, It is an honour that I dream not of. Which reflects on her young age. In Scene Four, before Romeo and his friends enter the ball, as a masquerade in order to avoid recognition, we hear of Romeos premonitions regarding his own demise. Because the audience already knows a brief account of the play, and what is going to happen, e.g. A pair of star-crossd lovers take their life; this premonition will interest the audience, as they anticipate what is going to happen next, and will have high anticipations for the following scene, i.e. Scene Five Role of Driving Ambition EssayThis intensity of love is immediately contrasted by the theme of hate, when Tybalt overhears Romeos voice, and recognises him to be a Montague. His reaction in instantaneous; an enemy means a fight, and he sends a servant to fetch his rapier. This soliloquy of his immediate outburst of hate is used to make the audience feel sympathy with Romeo, and to create tension. It also accentuates the conflicting emotions that have such a stronghold on the development of the play. The audience is now apprehensive; will Romeo get to meet Juliet? Will Tybalt stop him? Unfortunately for Tybalt, Capulet hears him demand his rapier and chastises him. His attitude has changed greatly since the opening scene, and he is more ready and willing to try to adhere to the Princes request for peace between the two families. Anyhow, it would reflect badly on Capulet if he allowed a fight to take place on his property, as such a prestigious occasion. He demand that Tybalt take no note of him. for he is a virtuous and well-governd youth i.e. he is well behaved. Capulet does not want to see him harmed in his house, and when Tybalt argues, he becomes more forceful, embarrassing and belittling Tybalt in front of the other guests. However, as the theme of love grows in the play, this interaction between Capulet and Tybalt only serves to incense Tybalts feeling of hatred, this intrusion shall / Now seeming sweet convert to bitterest gall. which grows proportionally to the feeling of love. It is after this point in which Romeo and Juliet meet, the climax of the scene, to which all other events have been building up. When they converse with one another, they speak together in the form of a sonnet, a popular and complex verse form of fourteen lines with a rhyme scheme of , that was fashionable in the sixteenth century, and was widely regarded as the appropriate medium for romantic poetry. An audience watching this play, in the days of Shakespeare, would have automatically recognised this as a sonnet, by the rhyme scheme. This is used to emphasise the true love that is felt by both characters, and accentuates the way in which the lovers are isolated from the outside world, both definite in their thoughts and intentions, despite Juliet teasing Romeo somewhat. There are religious overtones in this sonnet, This holy shrine, the gentle sinMy lips, two blushing pilgrims, as if Juliet is some holy being, and when he asks for permission to kiss her, which she grants, he then insists that he take back the sin from Juliet, which he had purgd from himself by kissing her in the first place. We are supposed to believe that Romeo is truly in love this time, and that Juliet reciprocates these feelings. The love shown here is much more realistic than the love that Romeo showed for Rosaline. As the two lovers prepare to begin another sonnet, the nurse interrupts them. This is to symbolise the interruptions that the outside world will have in their love, the fact that the society outside of their love will never let them be together. It is now that Romeo learns of Juliets identity, via the nurse, that she is the daughter of the host, and therefore a Capulet, the deadly foe of Romeos house of Montague. It is also via the nurse that Juliet learns of the identity of Romeo, previously declaring, If he be married, / My grave is like to be my wedding-bed i.e. she will die if he is married, and she cannot marry him. When she finds out that he is a Montague, she is distraught, my only love sprung from my only hate the irony of this situation is to dramatically emphasise the contrast between love and hate, and how powerful its hold is over the two conflicting families. The scene then ends with the audience left wondering how the play will develop from here, and how it will unfurl. This scene provides motivation fro the rest of the play to develop, and serves to develop both sides of the love/hate theme. I feel that Shakespeare has made this scene dramatically effective for the audience. He proficiently builds up the tension, from what the audience has already learnt from the previous scenes of the play, and efficiently creates the tension, which builds upon this information, increasing the audiences interest as apprehension as to what is going to occur in this scene. By delaying the meeting point of the two lovers, Shakespeare, in effect frustrates the audience, making the meeting point all the more dramatic, whilst at the same time, enabling the characters to voice their true thoughts to the audience. In addition, Shakespeare also uses this scene to further build up the contrast of love and hate. As he shows the increase of the theme of love, i.e. in Romeos soliloquy, this is immediately, and drastically contrasted by Tybalts immediate reaction of anger and hatred, which is further deepened by the humiliation that he is forced to endure by Capulet. These themes could still be relevant to a modern audience; that hate can ultimately destroy love, as symbolised by the death of Romeo and Juliet, and that it can destroy lives. This could be reflected to a modern audience as the effects of war etc. and that we should work together to form a better society, rather than revolving around hate, which eventually brings nothing but pain, which we do not gain from. It should not take hate and demise to eventually unite people. Therefore, in my opinion, I believe that Shakespeare has effectively made this scene dramatic, both to an audience of his era, and creates relevance to a more modern audience.