Why is this scene dramatic Persuasive Essay Example For Students

Why is this scene dramatic? Persuasive Essay The story revolves around the two feuding families of Verona; the Capulets and the Montagues, the young couple Romeo and Juliet falling in love with each other and the problems they face in doing so. Act three scene five, known as the Second Balcony Scene, is of great dramatic importance and contains various moods, ranging from the calm lyrics of the lovers to the anger and bitterness of old Capulet. This scene is pivotal to the play seeing the last time the lovers meet alive and Juliets brave defiance of her parents. The story is popular because it has a universal appeal. People at the time would be familiar with similar problems. Marriages between Catholics and Protestants cause problems. It has influenced literature for hundreds of years as authors have chosen similar themes. West Side Story is a modern Romeo and Juliet story set in the USA. Love story by Eric Segal is similar theme of parental disapproval. The scene starts just before dawn with Romeo preparing to leave Juliets bedroom and start his exile in Mantua. In the script this is performed at the window itself. In film version by Franco Zefferelli, I have seen the director start off with the couple in bed. Personally I would follow the script and start it off on the balcony. This way it is easier for the audience to see whats going on and it also makes the balcony a centre point, more special. It has been their wedding night arranged with great secrecy through the help of the nurse. There is a birdcall and Juliet tells Romeo: It was the nightingale, and not the lark. Romeo resists, saying that he must leave before morning comes or he will be put to death. However, he stays longer with her. Juliet shows tension as she realizes that Romeo must leave her, but begs him to stay; she cannot bear to part with him. It is appropriate that the time is dawn, which divides the day and the night. Shakespeare plays on the theme that Juliet has supernatural powers. Romeo describes her as transforming night into day. She now has the power to change a lark into a nightingale through the power of language. The tension is further reflected in the light and dark images that colour their speeches. Romeo knows he must immediately depart for: Nights candles are burnt out, and he sees light in the east. Juliet tries to explain it away as a meteor in the darkness. As Romeo finally goes down the balcony to his exile, Juliet, with dramatic irony, asks: O thinkst thou we shall meet again? Romeo bravely tries to comfort her. Looking down upon him from her balcony, Juliet says with chilling foreboding: O God! I have an ill-divining soul. Methinks I see thee, now thou art below. As one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Tragically when the lovers meet next, it will be in a tomb, and Romeo will be dead. All the characters without knowing it are showing echoes of the future. The next part of the scene is the conversation between Lady Capulet and Juliet. I think Juliet should be alone in the room staring out of the window after Romeo, weeping. When her mother enters she would quickly get up and try to wipe her tears. She tries not to talk about it and walks around trying to keep herself busy and to distract her mothers attention. The dialog starts calm and relaxed. When Lady Capulet enters she finds Juliet crying and immediately assumes that she is crying over the death of Tybalt, instead of Romeo leaving. Lady Capulet gets a bit suspicious of why she has been crying so long: ;some grief shows much of love, But much grief shows still some want of wit. She warns Juliet that if she cries too much she would be seen as over sensitive. When she realises how upset Juliet is she makes a plan. Lady Capulet appears insensitive to her daughters sadness. At this part of the scene Juliet says ironic lines that mean one thing to her mother and another thing to herself and the audience. Indeed I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, till I behold him dead- is my poor heart so for a kinsman vexed. Juliet has to be careful so that her mother is hearing what she wants her to hear. She doesnt want to reveal her secret. This kind of language keeps the play on edge. It shows she is not completely lying, almost tricking her mother. It also engages the sympathy of the audience who know the full story. There is a lot of movement on stage and vivid images spoken through the language of the characters. Shakespeare uses blank verse a lot to break the rhythm of the text. I noticed he breaks off the verse if there is anger or disagreement. This helps it stand out more. The title was taken from an ode by Horace EssayAfter hearing of how her father threatened to abandon her she decides to take another way of convincing him. She begs him to listen but he leaves. She softens her language to her father flattering him i.e. calling him good father rather than demanding his attention. Her father leaves so once again she turns to her mother for pity. Delay this marriage for a month, a week, Or if you do not, make the bridal bed In that dim monument where Tybalt lies. Lady Capulet also shows unexpected cruelty. She makes no attempt to sympathize with her daughter or to understand her feelings. Her wicked nature is seen in her plan to poison Romeo and in her preference to see Juliet married to her grave rather than to have to handle Juliets disobedience. I think Tybalt is a touchy subject with her. When ever he is mentioned she acts strangely and gets very angry or tries to change the subject. In the scene after Tybalt is murdered when the prince is deciding what to do with Romeo, she spoke out the most, insisting Romeo was killed. You get the impression he was more than a nephew to her, for it wasnt normal in those days for a women to speak out so loudly and boldly, especially on a subject like this. This time she just ignored Juliet and told her she had nothing to do with it. Juliets last hope of comfort lies with her Nurse. Both her parents had rejected her. The nurse is Juliets best and only friend. As we see through out the play Juliet always turned to the Nurse for advice, help and comfort. But this time she fails to give Juliet the advice and comfort she needs. She perhaps has never given her good advice but Juliet with distant parents turned to the nurse as her only female advisor. Now realising the full impact of her original advice the nurse is afraid and starts to backtrack so she doesnt lose her job and home. Juliet wants the Nurse to say that she will help Juliet not marry Paris and get her to Romeo. The nurse gives deceitful advice to the young bride, to forget Romeo and marry Paris. I think its best you married with County. O hes a lovely gentleman. Romeos a dishclout to him; an eagle madam, The nurse basically tells her to go through with the marriage to Paris as he is a good match and Romeo is as good as dead anyway. This is the point of the play where the great friendship between the Nurse and Juliet ends. The Nurse says that she means this from the bottom of her heart. Juliet realizes that she can no longer trust the Nurses advice and that she must think and act on her own. This must be quite frightening for a young girl of 14. Juliet is shocked at her nurses disloyalty and vows that she will not take her counsel again. She feels very much on her won. Juliet pretends to agree and she then tells the nurse that she is going to make confession at Friar Laurences cell. She uses this for time to think what to do. In her devotion to her husband, she is prepared to deceive her parents and nurse for the sake of their love. The last speech that Juliet makes I think is the most dramatic part of this scene. You see her cunning side. When she is saying this piece you can imagine it on stage. If I were directing it I would have the lights dimmed and have Juliet kneeling down and than rising to pace the stage. When she says: Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend I would have her throwing something after the nurse out of anger. Because its obvious shes very upset. Then I would have her trembling on her knees for she is very afraid. The tension finally drops when she finishes off her little soliloquy with: If all else fail, myself have power to die. So in this scene there is a lot of emotion and drama. It explores various relationships between the characters and is a foreshadowing to the end of the play. This scene sees the end of a lot of relationships; Juliet and her mother, Juliet and the nurse and Juliet and her father. Juliets very much on her own. This way she becomes more mature and finally realises the results of her actions. She has been forced to grow up quickly, from a young spoilt flighty girl; she has matured into a young woman whose love for Romeo has given her a purpose. She is determined to be reunited with her husband, or die.