ROMEO AND JULIET -

SHAKESPEARE

A PAIR OF STAR-CROSSED LOVERS -

PROLOGUE
Prologue has different functions:
● Sets out the atmosphere and the scene
● Give information about what is happening out the stage (anticipate events)
● we know something about the social background
● introduces us to the main characters

ENTER CHORUS: a character who interacts with the audience to introduce the story.

“A pair of star-crossed lovers” introduces the theme of fate/destiny. Indeed it means that the
audience knows since the beginning that the destiny of the couple is already decided.
The prologue in Romeo and Juliet is fundamental because since the title the audience
understands the tragic end of the story.

What is more we can notice a particular structure typical of the sonnet, which is composed
by 14 lines divided into 4 stanzas with an alternated rhyme and a final rhyming couplet.

The first stanza introduces the general context: all the story takes place in Verona, during
an old conflict between the two most powerful families.

In the second stanza there is an anticipation of the obstacles that the two lovers will have
to overcome since their death, which will definitely put an end to the conflict.

To conclude, in the third and last stanza the Chorus refers to the fact that the impossible
love story of the protagonists and the contrast between their families is what the audience is
going to see on the stage for about 2 hours.

Since this first part of the drama we can understand some of the main themes of the story,
which are the impossible love but also the influence of destiny in human beings.
THE BALCONY SCENE
The balcony scene represents one of the climax of the tragedy because the two lovers
declare their love to each other. During the night, in fact, Romeo enters the Capulet's
garden and starts praising Juliet’s beauty under her balcony.

At the beginning she is not aware of his presence, but when she recognizes him, a deep
conversation between them starts.

Everything begins with Romeo’s monologue, when he uses a high metaphorical language to
describe Juliet’s beauty: firstly he compares her to the sun, saying that she seems to be so
bright and unic that the moon has become jealous of her.
Then he starts complaining about her eyes that are so expressive that seems to be
speaking for her and once again compares them to the brightest stars of heaven.
What is more he says that the brightness of her cheeks is so light that also the stars feel
shamed and that her eyes are so bright and precious that the birds would start singing
thinking it is a day and not night.

At the end of the monologue we understand Romeo's desire to have a physical contact
with Juliet. This is proof that it is not just a platonic love where the woman is completely
distant from the man: here we understand that this is a real and concrete love, with a strong
desire to be in contact with each other.

When Juliet starts talking she thinks she is addressing Romeo in an imaginary dialogue
where she asks him to fight against any social barrier by denying his name. She also adds
that if he does not want to do it for her, she would be ready to deny her name and fight
against all the difficulties and obstacles they have.
In addition she mentions the fact that a name is just a convention that does not describe
who you really are.

At this point Juliet realizes that someone is listening to her thoughts and asks the person to
reveal his identity, even if Romeo does not want to tell her his name that is the enemy.
Anyway Juliet recognizes him from his voice and she starts to worry that he is risking his life
staying under her balcony.
From this point Romeo starts confessing his feelings, since that he confesses that his love
for her is so strong that he could not live without it.
He concludes by saying that even if she was really distant from him, he would surely follow
and find her.
WITH A KISS I DIE
The last scene represents the highest point of tension of the tragedy, where time helps
fate and plays against the protagonist.
This part starts with Romeo’s soliloquy near Juliet’s vant: the audience knows that the effect
of her poison is beginning to disappear while he is completely unaware of it.

This soliloquy starts with the contemplation of Juliet's beauty and with Romeo who
appears jealous of the “lean abhorred monster”who has taken possession of his lover.
Then he anticipates his suicides because he wants to leave the world he was tired of and
reach Juliet in the other life. Since this moment death becomes the only way to escape
the world and have Juliet for eternity.
Then he drinks the poison and dies, she wakes up and sees the dead body near to her. So
she kisses him hoping that the poison drops on his lips could kill her, but then she decides to
take his “happy dagger” and kill herself to reach her lover.

THEMES:
● LIGHT AND DARKNESS: especially in the balcony scene the author adds this
important theme typical of the courtly love tradition. At the beginning, in fact,
Romeo compares her to the sun and her eyes to the brightest stars of heaven, in
contrast with the darkness of the night associated to the world around them. What is
more Juliet’s position is really important: she is on the balcony over Romeo and
distant from him. This means that Juliet is the light in Romeo’s life but also his
guide ready to bright his way and to guide him to the best choice.

CONTRAST BETWEEN ROMEO AND JULIET

In the balcony scene we can understand better the personalities of the two main characters
that are really different. As for Romeo we may say he is very impulsive since he decided to
enter the Capulet’s garden to see Juliet risking his life.Secondly we can describe him as a
romantic and passionate man who always praises her lover’s beauty using a high
metaphorical language.
Anyway he often seems to be unsure and superficial, on the contrary of Juliet who is
ready to risk her life and fight against social conventions. That is why she asks Romeo to
deny his name, so that they could live their life together. For this reason we understand she
is really self-confident and also an unconventional woman, ready to risk her life and take
responsibility. We understand that in the moment when she says that if Romeo will not deny
his name, she will deny her one as a sign of love.
LOVE is the main theme in the play and is a
● Romantic love: as we can see in the passion that springs at first sight between Romeo
and Juliet, or during the balcony scene, when the two lovers declare eternal love to each
other, and Romeo elevates Juliet to an angel, to a star, that brightens up his life and guides
him to heaven, following the courtly love tradition. Also, their love isn’t only platonic, as it was
in country tradition, but is also physical and passionate, as they both feel the strong desire of
touching and being near each other.

● Friendship: as the friendship between Romeo and Mercutio and Benvolio, who, at the
beginning, worried for his behaviour try to cheer him up by going secretly to the ball, or that
Romeo defends during fights against the servants of the rival family

● love as a force that goes beyond other values as loyalty and family love: for example,
when they decide to get married, they are both denying their family, especially Juliet, is
turning her back to his father, who had already organized the marriage for her with count
Paris.

● Love as a source of VIOLENCE:if their love is a true and wonderful passion, on the other
side, we see that love becomes brutal: an emotion that pushes them against the others, and,
at times, against themselves. The themes of DEATH and VIOLENCE are present during all
the play and are always connected to passion, whether is a love or hate passion. This is
evident in the thought of suicide in Juliet when she gets to know that her lover is exilied from
Verona, or in romeo’s one, when he recives the news about Juliet’s death, and buys a
poison, or again when romeo kills Paris, when he kills himself, and when juliet ends her life
at the sight oh his lover dead. Also friendship becomes a source of violence when Romeo,
feeling guilt and anger for causing his friend’s death, decides to take REVENGE and kills
Tybalt, even if he was his wife’s cousin.

● Fate: fate is something inevitable, that permeates during the play, even the characters are
aware of this presence that dominates their life. The mechanism of Fare works in all the
events surrounding the two “star crossed lovers” as they are described in the prologue, in
fact we know since the beginning that their destiny is already signed, and that they won’t be
able to escape from their Fate: their love will face many “misadventures” that will bring them
to a moving and tragical ending.

● TIME: time and Fate are closely interconnected, in fact we can see how fate is helped by
time in many cases: When Romeo receives the news of his wife’s death by his servant, and
leaves Mantua just some minutes before friar Lawrence’s letter arrives to inform him about
the plan. Again, Romeo arrives at Juliet's vault, and decides to drink his potion, just some
minutes after, Juliet wakes up, and finds her lover dead in front of her, at this sight, she
decides to end her suffering, and with a knife ends her life.