Summary:
An in depth look at the book Romeo and Juliet. How Shakespeare took words and made them into emotion.
In Romeo and Juliet, Act 3 scene 5, the bedroom scene, is one of the most important scenes that Shakespeare wrote into the play and it is incredibly crucial to the storyline. It shows how emotions changed vastly and rapidly. It also shows how happiness and excitement can change to anger and upset with just a few simple words. Shakespeare has written this scene extremely well and has made all his points to the audience clear.
Some people may call this scene a turning point in the play as a lot of changes take place.
There are four distinct phases in this scene which stand out as different parts to the scene. The bedroom scene (phase one) shows the audience how happy the couple is but how upset they become after parting.
When Lady Capulet enters (phase two) the speech becomes sharper and the audience can see Juliet's sadness over Romeo's banishment. This phase also shows the shock, sorrow and fury of Juliet when she finds out about the already arranged marriage to Paris.
The entry of Lord Capulet (phase three) shows how Lord Capulet reacts to Juliet refusing to marry Paris, who he has already chosen for her.
The Mother and the Nurse part (phase four) shows the nurse's change of heart and how she tries to persuade Juliet to marry and Paris and forget about Romeo. This phase also shows the audience how Juliet's feelings for the nurse change.
The scene on a whole is well planned out and well written. Shakespeare makes his points clear in this scene.
Shakespeare puts in this opening section to show the audience that it is very clear that Romeo and Juliet have consummated their marriage. The bedroom scene is very important to the rest of the scene because it shows how Juliet's feelings change suddenly: we can see that, at first, she is exceptionally happy that she is next to Romeo, her new husband, and she knows that their marriage is now complete and legal.
The law states in the play that a marriage must be consummated before it can be classed as a legal marriage. This means that the couple must engage in sexual intercourse after the wedding.
The mood of this phase starts off calm and peaceful. Juliet is happy and the language is poetic. Romeo knows he has to go, but Juliet is insistent on making him stay. We can see this when she says "Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day: It was the nightingale, and not the lark, that pierc'd the fearful hollow of thine ear; nightly she sings on yond pomegranate tree. Believe me, love, it was the nightingale." This is the first thing she says in the scene and it shows her feelings directly: She is relaxed but, at the same time, persistent. The language in this paragraph, and the whole phase, is very flowing and graceful, which also tells us about Juliet's mood.
A foreshadowing occurs in this scene. It gives the audience a clue of what might happen later on in the play. It happens as Romeo is leaving the grounds when Juliet says "Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale." This gives the audience suspicion that Romeo might die.
Phase two: Lady Capulet enters
When lady Capulet enters, she sees Juliet weeping and immediately assumes that she is crying over Tybalt's death. She says "Evermore weeping for your cousin's death? What, wilt thou wash him from his grave with tears? And if thou couldst, thou couldst not make him live; therefore have done. Some grief shows much love, but much of grief shows still some want of wit." which tells us this. It also tells us that she is not at all sympathetic to Juliet. Juliet leaves her mother thinking what she wants about her sorrow, but the audience know that she is really grieving over Romeo's banishment.
Lady Capulet's plans for Romeo are to "give him such an unaccustom'd dram." This means that she will poison him. She thinks that this will make her daughter happier, but Juliet would feel the exact opposite.
When Juliet is forced to agree with her mother without believing it, Shakespeare put in clever double meanings like "Indeed I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, till I behold him - dead - is my poor heart, so for a kinsman vex'd." into Juliet's dialogue. These double meanings would be very clear to the audience, but misleading for Lady Capulet.
When her mother reveals the plans for Juliet's marriage to Paris, Juliet feels trapped. She does not want to upset her parents, but she is already married to Romeo. She cannot tell her parents this because he is a Montague, the Capulet's enemies, and she knows that they both might be killed.
Shakespeare shows her panic and desperation by writing that Juliet is begging her mother not to make her marry Paris when she says "I pray you tell my lord and father, Madame, I will not marry yet."
Lady Capulet is shocked and annoyed at Juliet's outburst. This shouldn't surprise us, because she thought Juliet would be pleased and grateful, but it would surprise Lady Capulet as, earlier on in the play, Juliet had said "I'll look to like, if looking liking move; but no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly." at the end of a discussion with her mother about marriage. This told us that she was very obedient and would marry whoever her parents asked her to.
Phase three: Entry of Lord Capulet
When Lord Capulet enters and first sees his tearful daughter, his reaction is sympathetic. He thinks that she is weeping for Tybalt, just like Lady Capulet did, and also thinks comments on her crying for too long.
Juliet would expect his support because earlier in the play he is very considerate and kind-hearted towards Juliet. We know that he respects her and her well-being because, when Paris asked for her hand in marriage in act one, he says "My child is yet a stranger in the world, she hath not seen the change of fourteen years; let two more summers wither in their pride, ere we may think her ripe to be a bride." This shows us that he knows Juliet is too young to be married and wants to wait a while.
The vicious comment that Lady Capulet makes changes Lord Capulet's caring mood. This comment is: "Ay, sir, but she will none, she gives you thanks. I would the fool were married to her grave." This means that Juliet will have nothing to with the marriage.
Capulet suddenly turns enraged and his language turns very violent. He begins to ask questions about why Juliet will not do as she is told. He says "Is she not proud"" This shows that he thinks she is not honoured at what he has done for her. He says she is "unworthy" and says "does she not count her blest..." He is confused and annoyed.
This mood is extremely different to his mood at the beginning of the phase. Earlier he had used delicate language. He seemed kind and caring. But when his attitude changed, he turned spiteful and malicious. He says "My fingers itch." which tells us that he is resisting the urge to strike Juliet. We can tell he is threatening her when he says to Juliet: "Thursday is near, lay hand on heart, advise; and you be mine, I'll give you to my friend; and you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets, for by my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee, nor what is mine shall never do thee good. Trust to't, bethink you, I'll not be foresworn."
The effect that this language would have on Juliet and the audience would be that they would be shocked: He had been so gentle before and he had suddenly changed in an instant.
I think that Lord Capulet reacted in this way because, along with his wife, he was surprised at Juliet's refusal of the marriage.
Phase four: The Mother and the Nurse
Juliet tries to persuade her mother to take her side by begging and pleading with her. She is desperate for her mother to agree with her, Juliet says "O sweet my mother, cast me not away! Delay this marriage for a month, a week..." But Lady Capulet dismisses her prayerful speech. Juliet also threatens to commit suicide when she says ."..or if you do not, make the bridal bed in that dim monument where Tybalt lies." But Lady Capulet dismisses her once again and replies: "Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word. Do ad thou wilt, for I have done with thee."
When Juliet turns to the nurse for advice, I think she would be expecting the nurse to comfort her and help her to get to Romeo from the way that Shakespeare has presented their relationship so far. But the nurse does not help her to get to Romeo. Instead, she tries to persuade Juliet that she should marry Paris. This is because she knows that Lord and Lady Capulet could easily have both the nurse and Juliet executed.
On hearing this advice, Juliet becomes more angry than upset. She uses sarcasm when she says "Well, Thou hast comforted me marvellous much." We can tell she is angry at the nurse when she calls her a "most wicked fiend" and Juliet threatens to kill herself again after the conversation between her and the nurse about marrying Paris. She is on stage by herself presenting a soliloquy to the audience and she says "Go, counsellor, thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain. I'll to the Friar to know his remedy; if all else fail, myself have power to die." This also shows slight sarcasm when she calls the nurse her "counsellor." Shakespeare has her standing alone when she says this to show how she is feeling inside and to show the audience what she would like to say to the nurse.
Shakespeare makes Juliet undergo a wide range of emotions during this scene. These emotions change rapidly and go from one extreme to another. The first emotion she feels is happiness. She feels this when she is with Romeo in the bedroom. The second emotion is fear. This is when the nurse warns her that her mother is coming to her bedroom. Thirdly, she feels sorrow when Romeo has gone and Lady Capulet tells her about the new wedding. Next comes fear and upset combined when Lord Capulet threatens her. Juliet then feels desperation and she experiences betrayal when the nurse tries to persuade her to marry Paris.
Shakespeare gradually, one by one, strips away Juliet's supports: First Romeo has to leave her at the beginning of the scene, then her mother turns against her when she declines the proposal, next she loses the trust in her father when he becomes extremely angry and threatens her after she has refused to marry Paris and lastly, she loses faith and trust in the nurse when she tries to make her forget about Romeo and marry Paris. In the end, Juliet is left alone.
There is a huge contrast between Juliet's feelings at the beginning and at the end of the scene. At the beginning she is peaceful and relaxed, but at the end of the scene, we can see that she has become very angry, upset and tense.
The language used in this scene affects the audience dramatically. The poetic language at the beginning makes the audience feel like everything is fine and that, in the play, love could overcome anything. But the violent language from Lord Capulet makes the audience almost feel the fright and grief that Juliet is feeling as her father is shouting at her and threatening her.
Overall, this scene is very effective and is written well. The audience can see and make out all of the emotions and almost feel them through the language used.
This is the complete article, containing 2,017 words
(approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page).
