Act 3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay

Act 3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, written in 1597. The story itself was not anything new or different, but the way Shakespeare wrote it was its gateway to its popularity. The original tale of Romeo and Juliet was composed in the form of a poem aptly named ‘The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet’ which I have found was in itself a translation from a French short story by the 16th-century Italian writer Matteo Bandello. The poem which Shakespeare gathered his inspiration from was first published in 1562 and the story set over a period of four months. Shakespeare’s adaptation was placed over four days. This significantly heightens the tension involved in the play as everything happens so hastily. The story itself is about a young couple who met and fell in love despite belonging to feuding families. With the two lovers at the marrying age of fourteen immersed in violence, hatred and hostility the play captivated the audience at the time including Queen Elizabeth I, the protestant queen. The drama is also engrossed in history, being considerably biased towards protestant followers and showing the Catholics in the play as untrustworthy, A good example being Friar Lawrence, a catholic priest who is portrayed as deceitful and dubious after marrying Romeo and Juliet in secret. This essay will show how Act 3, Scene 1 becomes the pivotal scene in the play whilst being the most dramatic. Before this scene the audience find out about the rivalry involved between the two families and the meeting of Romeo and Juliet. Overall the tone of the play is a ... ...s about her love for Romeo to the audience in a monologue, illustrating her happiness and serenity. Of course the audience know of the terrible news that awaits her-another use of dramatic irony. Overall act 3, scene 1 is the pivot point of the play. Before it, the play was considered a romance which contrasts heavily with the scenes after this act-a tragedy. This scene not only changes the course of action in the play but it marks a disastrous turning point in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. I believe it also adds to the overall drama in the play. Writing techniques such as imagery and dramatic irony are used to great effect and again increase the play’s emotional quality. In this scene alone the amount tension in the audience is significantly high ending up in the death of two main characters, Mercutio and Tybalt.