What Fascinated Shakespeare’s Audience in Romeo and Juliet?

Explore what they would have found particularly interesting from Act 3 where Juliet responds to her parents of an impending marriage to Paris.

William Shakespeare was born four hundred years ago on 23rd April 1564, St George’s Day. In Shakespeare’s era life was lived in a world completely different from our own. Shakespeare had quite a significant education for this period, as education had to be paid for and was not an entitlement; girls would be educated at home, meaning they were largely illiterate and learnt only “home crafts” such as cooking, sewing etc.

Shakespeare learned to read and write at a local school petit, he later went on to a Grammar school.

At eighteen Shakespeare married a local farmer’s daughter Anne Hathaway and they had three children. The first was Susanne, then came twins Hamnet and Judith. Shakespeare eventually left his wife and children to seek fame in London. In those days travel was not easy or cheap, many people spent their entire lives in the area of their birth.

Travelling plays would tour the countries, cities and churches. Jesters and all around entertainers would tour too, performing at most local venues such as: The Market Square or Town Hall. This is believed to have inspired Shakespeare to leave his family and seek fame in London where the main plays were situated.

Elizabeth I reigned during this period and encouraged authors, and plays to be written, however travelling bands were seen as vagabonds so they needed protection from powerful people like the Earl of Leicester.

Romeo and Juliet is a very ancient story, it can be tracked back to year three. Shakespeare’s audiences were happy to watch plays that contained a story they already knew as long as it was performed in a way that made it interesting and exciting. Most of the audience would not be capable of reading so they would not be familiar with unusual stories. Shakespeare was so successful because he adapted the stories and added new twists and characters to old and familiar stories.

At the opening of the play the audience’s attentions would have instantly been caught by the noise and movement of the fight scene. This scene would have been set in as summery afternoon; Shakespeare would have used imagery to create pictures in the audiences minds. The play starts with dramatic impact and would signal the start of the play, remember there were no dimming lights or curtains; it also immediately establishes the conflict theme.

Escalus would show us the finery of a prince and the common audience would liked to have seen the colours of his clothing, his appearance would have had an influential impact on the audience.

The prince steps in on the fight and makes his presence felt.

PRINCE: “.. Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground, and hear the sentence of your moved prince. Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word, by thee, old Capulet, and Montague, have thrice disturbed the quite of our streets, and made Verona’s ancient citizens cast by there grave beseeming ornaments to wield old partisans, in hands as old, cankered with peace, to part your cankered hate; if you ever disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace…”

This quote shows Prince Escalus’s authority and power.

In Romeo and Juliet the nurse provides most of the humour; with her long verses the audience become to like her sense of humour which comes in handy when Romeo is miserable; this may also have an effect on the audience. In the next scene the comedy of the nurse adds humour and dramatic relief from Romeo’s misery for the audience, she uses comical and long-winded quotes such as: “…An honour! Were not I thine only nurse, I would say thou hadst sucked wisdom from my teat”. As the play is a tragedy there is not much room for humour, but what room there is Shakespeare uses well.

The Romeo and Juliet play is fuelled by the hatred between the Capulets and the Montagues. The play starts off with an action packed fight:

TYBALT: “Turn thee look upon thy death”

BENVOLO: “I do but keep the peace put up thy sword”

TYBALT: “What drawn and talk of peace? I have the word as I hate hell, all Montagues hate thee: Have at thee coward.”

They fight

Yet after Prince Escales’ ultimatum all bitter feuds die down. With his first sight of Juliet, Romeo is instantly in love: O she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of the night as a rich jewel in Ethiop’s ear- beauty too rich for use, for earth to dear: So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows as yonder lady o’er her fellows shows. The audience would have liked the idea of love at first sight and the sudden destruction of it by Tybalts’ aggression and argument with Lord Capulet (dramatic impact of his temper, audience fear that he will ruin the lovers).

The audience would have like the balcony scene also as it shows much tenderness and had a dramatic impact as Juliet is raised above the level of the stage and looks down on the audience and tells why she should love a Montague.

JULIET: ” O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or if thou wilt not, but be sworn my love and I’ll be no longer a Capulet”.

The audience would have been excited at the marriage prospect – again sceptical and celebratory, but also the fear of what both families would do if they find out about this secret marriage.

Romeo and Juliet is a great tragedy and includes a total of six deaths. Mercutio is killed trying to defend his friend Romeo (this is where Mercutio curses the two houses

MERCUTIO: A plague a’both houses! I am sped.

This would have riddled the audience with worry; as citizens of this era were very ill-educated therefore were very superstitious, (wondering if this curse would affect Romeo and Juliet) Romeo grieving for revenge of this friends’ death; he finds it by killing Tybalt, then Prince Escales steps in and banishes Romeo from Verona. When Romeo is in Mantua. Juliet is given a potion by Friar Lawrence (the potion that Friar had given Juliet would send Juliet’s into a deep sleep, forcing her family to believe that she is dead). Just before Juliet swallows the potion has a vision, she sees the tomb. This will give audience a sense of horror.

A servant Balthasar brings home the dreadful news surrounding Juliet. Then returns home; and has just wealth enough to buy poison from the opotheccy. When he enters the tomb where Juliet lies he finds Paris by her side:

PARIS: I do defy thy conjuration, And apprehend thee for a felon here.

Romeo: Wilt thou provoke me? Then have at thee, boy!

They fight and Paris falls to Romeo’s blade. Romeo mourning over Juliet’s’ body he takes the poison which kills him in seconds. Juliet wakes to find her lovers’ motionless body beside her. This is a massive technique of dramatic irony used by Shakespeare

JULIET: Go get thee hence, for I will not away. What’s here? a cup closed in my true love’s hand? Poison I see hath been his timeless end. O churls, drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips, haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die restorative. Thy lips are warm

JULIET: …then ill be brief. O happy dagger,

(Taking Romeo’s dagger)

This is my sheath

(Stabs herself.)

There rust, and let me die (falls on Romeo’s body and dies)

The audience’s reaction to the tragedy I believe that the audience would be extremely in shock to the events. Another factor is that irony plays a big part in all these events; for example: the scenario of Juliet consuming the potion to make her look dead, then Romeo finding her laying motionless, hence Romeo committing suicide.

She tries to finish herself off by drinking the dregs of Romeo’s poison, sadly there is not enough and she is forced to drive a knife in her stomach. Finally Lady Montague dies of a broken heart. All these deaths give a sense of sadness and revenge to the audience.

Another technique of Shakespeare was suspense and tension. A great example of this is where Romeo receives the news on Juliet’s’ death and the way he made the audience feel excitement and frustration in not receiving Friar John’s letter:

ROMEO: is it so? Then I defy you stars! Thou knowest my lodging, get me ink and paper, and hire post-horses; I will hence tonight

BALTHASAR: I do beseech you, sir, have patience: Your looks are pale and wild, and import some misadventure.

ROMEO: Tush, thou art deceived. Leave me, and do the thing I bid thee do. Hast thou no letters to me from the Friar?

BALTHASAR: No, my good lord.

ROMEO: No matter and get thee gone, and hire those horses; I be with thee straight.

They also would have felt horror and fear when Romeo buys the poison. The tempo increases as the play reaches its climax, when Romeo is by Juliet’s side and the audience kept on the edge of their seat, wondering whether she will wake up in time.

In Act Three, which is the turning point of events in Shakespeare’s play. What the audience would have found interesting would have been when Juliet refused to marry Paris and her father said she must (during that period a husband was chosen and you could not disagree). This would have left them thinking what would her father do if he knew she was already married.