Preview

Romeo And Juliet Act 3 Scene 5 Essay

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2812 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Romeo And Juliet Act 3 Scene 5 Essay
Romeo and Juliet Analysing Act 3 Scene 5

Act 3, scene 5 is a crucial scene in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. The scene is a springboard from which the play plummets to a grizzly end and the subtle climax of the series of events before it. It also contains elements of many of the main themes of the play, love, trust, family, hate, fate and some interesting theatrical techniques such as dramatic irony and double meanings. The scene is quite easy to analyse being constructed of four duologues and Juliet’s soliloquy. It is therefore a good scene to look at in more detail.

Shakespeare begins his play by establishing the core conflict that drives the plot of Romeo and Juliet; the pointless feud between the Capulet and Montague families
…show more content…
She suddenly has an “ill divining soul” and wonders if she will ever see Romeo again, emulating Romeo’s unconscious tragic foreshadowing in their duologue and continuing the theme of fate. Then her father, mother and finally her Nurse abandon her in a series of duologues. During this part of the scene Juliet uses sarcasm, irony, ambiguities and double meanings. This would be a wonderful opportunity for a director to contrast the playful, innocent Juliet that comes alive when Romeo is around with a flat, upset and even spiteful Juliet that emerges when he is not. When her Nurse suggests she should marry Paris, Juliet is sarcastic saying the Nurse has comforted her “marvellous much” and later calls the Nurse an “ancient damnation” behind her back. The way Juliet suddenly changes her opinion of the Nurse who she used to see as a great friend could be taken as Shakespeare making a statement about love, that in a society where love is rejected, with arranged marriages or any other tool, love can become a platform for hate and injustice, represented by Juliet’s sinister side. This message is reinforced when Juliet says “thankful, even for hate that is meant by love” to her

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Just before dawn, Romeo prepares to lower himself from Juliet’s window to begin his exile. Juliet tries to convince Romeo that the birdcalls they hear are from the nightingale, a night bird, rather than from the lark, a morning bird. Romeo cannot entertain her claims; he must leave before the morning comes or be put to death. Juliet declares that the light outside comes not from the sun, but from some meteor. Overcome by love, Romeo responds that he will stay with Juliet, and that he does not care whether the Prince’s men kill him. Faced with this turnaround, Juliet declares that the bird they heard was the lark; that it is dawn and he must flee. The Nurse enters to warn Juliet that Lady Capulet is approaching. Romeo and Juliet tearfully part. Romeo climbs out the window. Standing in the orchard below her window, Romeo promises Juliet that they will see one another again, but Juliet responds that he appears pale, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Romeo answers that, to him, she appears the same way, and that it is only sorrow that makes them both look pale. Romeo hurries away as Juliet pulls in the ladder and begs fate to bring him back to her quickly.…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In act 3, scene 5 in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, a lot of emotions are being shown by different characters. In this scene Shakespeare has involved some of the main themes; family, hatred/anger, violence and the most notable theme, love.…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    October 16th was the opening night for a Carroll production of Romeo and Juliet. Many familiar faces around Carroll are involved with the shakespearian production and everything seems to be going smoothly. On Thursday night (the 15th), a dress rehearsal was given to an open audience and was very well received with seemingly everything going according to plan. However, behind the show are some interesting characters as well.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Juliet’s mood changes. At the beginning of the scene she is very polite, but once she hears what her father has arranged for her,…

    • 864 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Essay Romeo and Juliet

    • 2238 Words
    • 9 Pages

    "The older you are, the wiser you get." is a well known proverb that provides insight in human tendencies to be impulsive, perfunctory and hasty. Part of maturing as a human being comes from understanding a predicament, deducing a solution and carefully reasoning whether there will be any consequences and if they would be worth it. Impulsive acts flaunt incompetence and immaturity. Albeit embarrassing regardless, there are often more resilient consequences than merely looking foolish for acting in manners that jeopardize goals and contravene strategies of success. Failing to analyze any situation appropriately in the heat of the moment incurs undesirable outcomes such as a punishment of some sort or in some cases, death. This is the message that William Shakespeare tries to convey in his infamous play, Romeo and Juliet. This play revolves around characters from two rival families that elicit their deaths and that of several others due to their impulsive personalities. Romeo, Juliet and Tybalt each let a particular emotion cloud their judgement, causing them to make decisions with no prior thoughts of consideration for consequences. Their lack of will to resist and control their desires becomes the cause of their demise.…

    • 2238 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In many literary works, there are methods that authors use to make a story better. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, dramatic irony is the driving method. Dramatic irony is something in which characters do not know something, but the reader or audience knows what the true reality is. According to some researchers, “A staple of Elizabethan and Shakespearean drama was dramatic irony” (Halio 25). Furthermore some researchers also belive that dramatic irony is very prominent in the play, “ One of the more prominent literary devices in the play is irony” (Sauer 673). Romeo and Juliet, and also their friends and families face a lot of instances of dramatic irony in the story. Dramatic irony creates suspense and adds to the conflict that exists between the Capulets and the Montagues in Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Dramatic irony in Romeo and Juliet occurs when Juliet and Romeo fall in love with each other at first sight, when Romeo’s friends don’t know that Romeo and Juliet have fallen in love with each other, and when Lady Capulet thinks that Juliet is crying about Paris, not Romeo.…

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Romeo and Juliet Essay

    • 1379 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In the early stages of Romeo and Juliet, the Montague parents send Benvolio to discern the cause of Romeo’s melancholy. They intervene in his relationship, but in this case it has no long-lasting effects. During Romeo’s relationship with Juliet, adults again intervene; sadly, though, in this case the effects are deeply felt and much more pernicious. Adult figures deter Romeo and Juliet’s relationship.…

    • 1379 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet Essay

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Friar Laurence, through his lack of good judgment, is largely responsible for the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. Rather than being supportive of them and helping them disclose their loving situation, Friar Laurence took the “easy” way out. He succumbed to their desire to elope. He secretly married Romeo and Juliet instead of standing behind them and encouraging them to confront their families with the facts about their commitment to and love for each other. As a result, an even stronger bond between them was created through marriage: "For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone / Till holy church incorporate two in one" (2.6.36-37). Friar Laurence married Romeo and Juliet, hoping that their union would bring an end to the constant feuding between their two families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Though the friar’s intentions were good and above reproach, they were certainly missteps along a pathway to tragedy. None of the tragedies would have occurred if Romeo and Juliet were not married…

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Romeo and Juliet Essay

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Shakespeare portrayed many views on love in the romantic tragedy play Romeo & Juliet. Shakespeare presents this idea as a force of nature, so strong that it transcends social conventions. Many of the friendships in the play are as sincere as Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other. Close relationships were formed between Juliet and her nurse, Romeo and Mercutio and Mercutio and Benvolio.…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Love at first sight. Is it really love, or is it an obsession masked by emotion? In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the characters are misled by their obsessions and a perpetual feud. This, by their own doing, led them straight to their grave. The families of Romeo and Juliet had been at war for ages and although the feud is known to cause trouble, the couples’ obsession gets the best of them. Juliet states, “My only love sprung from my only hate” (22). Along with Juliet, Romeo lets his obsession with ‘love’ consume him. His infatuation with Juliet provokes his untimely death. In Romeo and Juliet, the tragic nature of an obsession as a theme, war as a motif, and the dagger as a symbol are all important literary devices to analyze in the study of the text.…

    • 948 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    My only love sprung from my only hate Love plays a vital role in one’s life and sometimes it leads to the destruction of families and fortunes. Love conquers all. It is like solving a tough puzzle. For true love, one tries to overcome all the obstacles and always wants to live together.…

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay Romeo and Juliet

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages

    For this essay I chose the last topic, number 18, which consists of choosing a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent and a son or daughter. I chose “Romeo and Juliet”, the play by William Shakespeare because I think it’s a perfect example of how the relationship between parents and their son and daughter influenced a lot more than they intended to. Even if it was not directly, Romeo and Juliet’s parents are to be held responsible for their early and meaningless death.…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet Essay

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet depicts the story of two star-crossed lovers from feuding families who, after a series of fateful events, choose to take their own lives rather than live without each other. The tragic outcome of Romeo and Juliet can be blamed on Friar Laurence, the family feud and the impulsive actions of Romeo and Juliet. Friar Laurence makes several irresponsible decisions throughout the play such as his unwise plan to reunite the lovers. The family feud forces Romeo and Juliet to marry under secrecy and the decisions they make in order to hide their love lead to their tragic deaths. The rash decisions made by Romeo and Juliet also contribute to the ill-fated outcome of the story.…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo And Juliet Essay

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Everyone in the world can teach us something, even characters in literature. The leaders of the Montague and Capulet households in William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, teach important lessons through their hatred. Their families have been heated rivals for a long time, feuding over something no one is even sure what it is. Servants, kinsmen, and family members go to war with each other and blood is shed often. The plot of the story is set in motion when their only children fall in love secretly. Because of the strong hatred between the two sides, and their children's love, the audience learns two very important lessons: Families can divide us, and never hold a grudge.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo and Juliet is a play of love and hatred. In the centre of it all is Juliet, barely fourteen and still reliant on her wet nurse, yet willing to take her own life then to live without the one she loves. In the short four days, in which the play takes place, Juliet faces more than most in a lifetime. She is forced into marriage, she secretly marries an enemy of her house, her new husband kills her cousin and is exiled only allowing her one night of wedded bliss. She has to pretend to kill herself only to find her husband dead beside her, after which she takes her own life. During this emotional rollercoaster Juliet changes from an innocent, naïve thirteen-year-old to a defiant and independent young heroine. I have chosen Act 1 Scene 3, Act 3 Scene 5 (lines 69-242), and her soliloquy in Act 4 Scene 4 to compare, as they show different stages of Juliet's change in character.…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays