Sympathy For Romeo And Juliet Essay
To what extent does Shakespeare make you feel sympathy for Romeo and Juliet in Act 1 and Act 2?
We are introduced to the play by a prologue which in this case is a sonnet. In this we are immediately told the fate of the two ‘star-crossed lovers’, building tension throughout the play. Shakespeare uses this to make us aware of what is going on during the play so we feel sympathy for Romeo and Juliet throughout the play. We are also informed of the hatred between two households, due to pathetic fallacy, who we then read on to find to be the Capulet and Montague families. At first, I thought it was a bit strange to be told what was going to happen before even reading the play, but once I read the play I understood Shakespeare’s intentions. Act 1 opens with Sampson and Gregory, two Montagues, talking and fooling about, but as soon as Tybalt …show more content…
Romeo sees Juliet from a distance and asks the serving men who she is, but they do not know, so Romeo is unaware she is his families enemy. After seeing Juliet Romeo immediately falls in love with her, our thoughts link back to the prologue where we first hear the two young lovers destiny, making us feel intense whenever Rome and Juliet are together, waiting to see where they go wrong. Benvolio previously said that he would make Rosaline seem a crow, ‘Compare her face with some that I shall show, And I will make thee think thy swan a crow’, Romeo now questions if he ever actually loved Rosaline. When Tybalt sees Romeo at the Capulet ball he wants to start a fight there and then, but Lord Capulet refuses to let him cause a scene at his party, Tybalt agrees to leave it for tonight, but claims he will never forget it, as if he is panning revenge, ‘Patience perforce with wilful choler meeting makes my flesh tremble in their different greeting. I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, Now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest
We are introduced to the play by a prologue which in this case is a sonnet. In this we are immediately told the fate of the two ‘star-crossed lovers’, building tension throughout the play. Shakespeare uses this to make us aware of what is going on during the play so we feel sympathy for Romeo and Juliet throughout the play. We are also informed of the hatred between two households, due to pathetic fallacy, who we then read on to find to be the Capulet and Montague families. At first, I thought it was a bit strange to be told what was going to happen before even reading the play, but once I read the play I understood Shakespeare’s intentions. Act 1 opens with Sampson and Gregory, two Montagues, talking and fooling about, but as soon as Tybalt …show more content…
Romeo sees Juliet from a distance and asks the serving men who she is, but they do not know, so Romeo is unaware she is his families enemy. After seeing Juliet Romeo immediately falls in love with her, our thoughts link back to the prologue where we first hear the two young lovers destiny, making us feel intense whenever Rome and Juliet are together, waiting to see where they go wrong. Benvolio previously said that he would make Rosaline seem a crow, ‘Compare her face with some that I shall show, And I will make thee think thy swan a crow’, Romeo now questions if he ever actually loved Rosaline. When Tybalt sees Romeo at the Capulet ball he wants to start a fight there and then, but Lord Capulet refuses to let him cause a scene at his party, Tybalt agrees to leave it for tonight, but claims he will never forget it, as if he is panning revenge, ‘Patience perforce with wilful choler meeting makes my flesh tremble in their different greeting. I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, Now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest