Romeo and Juliet

Act 2

Prologue

The Chorus delivers another short sonnetIt describes:

– The new love between Romeo and Juliet– The enmity between the families which makes

it difficult for them to meet– But their love gives them the power and

determination to overcome these obstacles

Act II, Scene i - Summary

Having left the feast, Romeo feels he can’t go home, but longs to be with Juliet

He leaps the Capulet orchard wall, and hears Benvolio and Mercutio making rude remarks about his obsession with Rosaline

He is in terrible danger if he is found there – he knows this, but does not care due to his need to see Juliet again

Romeo and Isolation

In this scene, Romeo begins a separation from his friends that continues throughout the play

His inability to reveal his love of a Capulet heightens his isolation

By leaping the wall surrounding the Capulet orchard, Romeo physically separates himself from Mercutio and Benvolio—a separation that reflects the distance he feels from society, his friends, and his family

Mercutio and Love

Mercutio calls to Romeo using physical and sexual innuendo

To Mercutio, love is a conquest, a physical endeavour

He reveals a crude understanding of love—“quivering thigh, / And the demesnes that there adjacent lie”

His view of love contrasts sharply to Romeo’s- this elevates the love of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo’s leap over the Capulet wall is symbolic of his flight to a spiritual love as he moves away from Mercutio’s crude understanding of love

Act II, Scene ii - Summary

Romeo stands beneath Juliet’s bedroom window Juliet appears on the balcony and thinking she’s alone,

reveals her love for Romeo She despairs over the feud and the problems it creates Romeo listens and when Juliet calls on him to “doff” his

name, he reveals himself They exchange expressions of love and devotion Nurse calls Juliet away, but she returns They agree to marry Juliet promises to send a messenger the next day so that

Romeo can explain the wedding arrangements The scene concludes as day breaks and Romeo leaves to

seek the advice of Friar Lawrence

Light Imagery

Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery in this scene to describe the blossoming of Romeo and Juliet’s romance

Juliet is compared to the sun and stars, and as a ‘bright angel’

As Romeo stands in the shadows, he looks to the balcony and compares Juliet to the sun

Romeo implies that her very appearance is enough to banish night-time

Thus, as Romeo steps from the moonlit darkness into the light from Juliet’s balcony, he has left behind his melodramatic woes and moved toward a more genuine, mature understanding of love

Pure Love

Shakespeare describes the pure and innocent quality of their love by juxtaposing the balcony scene with Mercutio’s lewd sexual jokes in the previous scene

Romeo returns to the religious imagery when he describes Juliet as, “a bright angel” and “dear saint”

The recurring use of religious imagery emphasises the purity of Romeo and Juliet’s love

Darkness

The scene takes place at nighttime, illustrating the way Romeo and Juliet’s love exists in a world separate from others

Throughout the play, their love flourishes at night - an allusion to the forbidden nature of their relationship

As night ends and dawn breaks, the two are forced to part to avoid being discovered by the Capulets

Romeo and Development

Romeo begins to display signs of increasing maturity His speeches are now natural rather than the rehearsed

rhymed couplets Romeo is no longer the melancholy lover of Act I He is no longer concerned with himself, but thinks of

Juliet He is willing to sacrifice his family, society and his life

for her Although Romeo has matured to an extent, he remains

somewhat immature when compared with Juliet She considers practical and logical ideas He is impetuous, headstrong breaking into his enemy’s

garden and risking his life He continues speaking in romantic exaggerated images

Juliet

Juliet reveals intelligence through complex philosophical thought concerning the nature of identity

Compares Romeo to a rose and reasons that if a rose were given another name, it would still be a rose

Shows increasing self-possession and confidence - introduces the idea of marriage

Practical, concerned with Romeo’s safety Realist: stops Romeo from swearing his love on the moon

as it is too “inconstant” and “variable” - encourages him to express his love genuinely

Mature in understanding they are moving too quickly and that their love may not last: “It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden”

Marriage

‘I have no joy of this contract tonight’ - She is aware that they are both in the grip of a passion and possession that they cannot fight – and that it may not necessarily end well for them (foreshadowing)

Very quickly, she demands that if Romeo’s ‘love be honourable’, then they should marry immediately, and she will give up everything for him (including her name)

At Juliet’s suggestion, they plan to marry

Tension

Fear Romeo will be discovered by the Capulets Feel anxious for Juliet who is unaware that she is

exposing her innermost feelings to Romeo Interruptions from the Nurse add to the atmosphere of

intense urgency as the lovers frantically say good-bye It also reveals the way in which others intrude upon and

destroy their love The anticipation of their forthcoming marriage continues

to build further tension and increase the pace of the play However, this is the most positive, joyful, problem free

scene in the play It is the only scene where their love is developed and

explored, with the possibility of a happy conclusion

Fate

Juliet seeks her own fate rather than a destiny imposed upon her by her parents as she introduces the idea of marriage to Romeo

Juliet’s promise to Romeo to “follow thee my lord throughout the world” foreshadows the final scene of the play, when Juliet follows Romeo into death

Society

Juliet refuses to accept that Romeo must be her enemy, but she cannot make him NOT be a Montague, and all that that name stands for

In the garden, they are able to pretend that names (or language) does not matter, and that only the language of love holds sway

But the language of society will prevail in the end – Romeo IS a Montague and will only ever be seen as such by his enemies

Task:

Trace the development of:Romeo’s character – how does he change

during the scene?Juliet’s character – what kind of person

does she appear to be during the exchanges with Romeo?

Use quotes to support your analysis

Act II, Scene iii - Summary

Friar Laurence speaks a lengthy meditation on the duality of good and evil that exists in nature

This alerts us to the fact that he has a deep knowledge of the properties of plants and herbs

Romeo arrives, tells him of his love for Juliet and asks the Friar to marry them later that day

The Friar is amazed and concerned at the speed with which Romeo has transferred his love from Rosaline to Juliet

But he agrees to marry the couple hoping it will ease the feud between the families

Conflict between Good and Evil

The dual nature within the Friar’s plants suggests a coexistence of good and evil: “Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied; / And vice sometimes by action dignified.”

The tension between good and evil is a constant force in this play

The Friar is a good example as his intentions are good, in that he wishes to end the feud, but his plan precipitates the tragic end to the play

He is naive in his underestimation of the feud and the workings of fate

Friar and Romeo

The Friar acts as a father figure to RomeoHe is the only person to whom Romeo can

confide the secret of his love for Juliet and his plans to marry

He also knew about his love for Roseline, and yet Romeo’s parents did not

Equally he cares about Romeo offering him advice

Love

The Friar’s disbelief at the speed of Romeo’s love for Rosaline turning to love of Juliet causes us to question if his love is genuine

He describes Romeo as a ‘young waverer’This suggests Romeo’s emotions fluctuateAlthough Romeo may appear superficial at

this stage he will prove his love for Juliet throughout the action of the play

Romeo’s Flaw

Romeo is typically impulsive and wants to be married that day

The Friar advises caution, reminding Romeo of the love he recently had for Rosaline and the speed with which he has abandoned that love

Romeo’s flaw is that he acts without thought and impulsively follows his emotions

Act II, Scene iv - Summary

It is the morning after the Capulet feast Benvolio explains that Tybalt has sent Romeo a challenge

to fight Mercutio suggests Tybalt is a good fighter Romeo arrives and we see a change in him – he is lively,

funny and quick-witted The marriage plans proceed as Nurse arrives to find out

information for Juliet Mercutio exasperates her with his sharp mocking words Romeo tells the Nurse that Juliet should meet him at Friar

Laurence’s cell at 2 p.m. that afternoon to be married The Nurse is to collect a rope ladder from Romeo so that

he can climb to Juliet’s window to celebrate their wedding night

Romeo Development

We see a change in Romeo He is now rejuvenated, buoyed by romantic

energy Thoughts of his marriage have enlivened him and

his mind enabling him to meet all of Mercutio’s verbal challenges with equally intelligent, rapid retorts – he outwits Mercutio

An air of excited anticipation energizes the atmosphere

Mercutio notices this change: ‘is this not better than groaning for love? Now art thou Romeo.’

This ‘sociable’ Romeo is the ‘real’ Romeo

Tybalt’s Threat

Mercutio doubts Romeo’s ability to fight with Tybalt: ‘Alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead!’

Dramatic irony, as Romeo will kill TybaltTybalt’s challenge embroils Romeo in the feud

even though he has a peaceable natureTybalt’s anger is caused by a trivial incident - he

is determined to confront Romeo despite Capulet’s opposition

The mischievous repartee contrasts with the darkly ominous threats of Tybalt’s challenge

As in other parts of the play, vastly contrasting ideas coexist – love/hate; euphoria/despair

The Nurse

Brings news of Juliet to Romeo, and warns that ‘the gentlewoman is very young’ and that if he should ‘deal double’ with her, it would be an ‘ill thing to be offered to any gentlewoman, and very weak dealing’

She is concerned for Juliet and acts as a motherRomeo reassures her that he is serious in his

intent

Tension

The sense of anticipation increases in this scene through repeated references to time

The Nurse’s delay in finding Romeo amplifies an already intense sense of urgency

News that the wedding ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. illustrates the speed with which Romeo and Juliet meet and are to be married - in less than 24 hours!

Act II, Scene v - Summary

Juliet waits impatiently for the nurse to return (she has been gone three hours)

Whether deliberately or not – the Nurse delays telling her Romeo’s news, thus building up dramatic tension for Juliet (and the audience..)

Instead, she complains about her aches and painsNurse relents when Juliet becomes forcefulThe Nurse then leaves to collect the rope ladderAgain, Juliet reveals the practical, no-nonsense,

and direct aspects of her character and personality

Time and Tension

The dizzying speed with which the lovers fell in love is contrasted with the long hours Juliet waits for news

It emphasises the nature of time dragging when parted from a loved one

The Nurse’s comic role increases the tension in this scene as she deliberately refuses to be hurried by Juliet

Juliet is forced to wait and coax the news from the Nurse, stifling her impatience when the Nurse continually changes the subject

Juliet’s Development

The scene echoes Romeo’s discussions with the Friar because both Romeo and Juliet are desperately impatient to wed

Juliet’s soliloquy and her subsequent exchanges with the Nurse show her desire to be with Romeo and her growing impetuous nature

Unlike her demeanor in other scenes, Juliet reveals little patience for deferred gratification

However, marriage suggests Juliet’s necessary maturity with ominous, fateful overtones - can she be mature at 13?

The plan

Juliet has to pretend to be going to confession, and in Friar Laurence’s cell, she and Romeo will be secretly married by the Friar

A servant of Romeo’s will bring a rope ladder to the Nurse, who will so arrange this as to allow Romeo access to Juliet’s room (wherein the marriage can be consummated)

Consummation was an important legal, moral, emotional and religious concept

Act II, Scene vi - Summary

Romeo and Friar Laurence wait for JulietThe Friar has misgivings about the hastiness of

the decision to marryHe hopes that fate will favour their actions: ‘so

smile the heavens upon this holy act..’Romeo – reckless as ever – does not care about

the consequences, but believes wholeheartedly in the power of love

Juliet arrives and the Friar takes them into the church to be married

Power of Love

Romeo believes in the strength of love to overcome all difficulties

He believes that not even death can counteract the pleasure he feels in marrying Juliet

He boldly believes love has the power to defeat death: “love-devouring death”

He asserts that no matter what miseries await love overrides them all: ‘But come what sorrow can, It cannot countervail the exchange of joy That one short minute gives me in her sight’

Foreshadowing and Fate

The Friar counsels moderation, warning that ‘these violent delights have violent ends’

However, he is becoming embroiled in the rash actions of Romeo and Juliet

The wedding scene is notable for its brevity and pervasive atmosphere of impending doom

Images of happiness and marriage are repeatedly paired with images of violence and death

Although he is unhesitating in his desire to be married to Juliet, Romeo’s challenge to fate is prophetic and full of dramatic irony because it foreshadows the final outcome; that death triumphs over both protagonists

At the end of Act 2

These are the final ‘happy’ scenesShakespeare emphasises the thrilling and

ecstatic joy of young, romantic loveThe mood and tone are euphoric, with

only a few small notes of foreshadowing included to remind the audience that this is a tragedy, and there will be no ‘happy ending’ for Romeo and Juliet

Writing task

Read Act II Scene iii closely once more, then write brief answers to the following:

1. What does Friar Laurence’s opening speech tell us about him, and his views on nature..?

2. What does this scene tell us about Romeo’s character (and Friar Laurence’s opinion of him..)