Romeo And Juliet Act I (Scene I) Essay

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Romeo and Juliet Act I (Scene I) The play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare is possibly one of the most famous plays ever created. The beginning starts with a prologue which summarises the whole play to help the audience understand and to set the first scene. The prologue certainly gives them alot to expect especially a forbidden love story ‘A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life... Doth with their death bury their parents strife’ which gives the impression there are two people in love who take their life and with that burying their parents hate for each other which creates suspense; why they killed themselves and what was going on between their parents? The first scene starts with a conversation between Sampson and Gregory who are servants to the Capulet’s both of them are trying to make the other one think they are the greater person. This conversation is more or less them trying to act cool and trying to prove to the other they are stronger than the other. As they carry on throughout the conversation they mention the Montague’s who come across as a family enemy when Sampson says “... I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague’s” this line and the prologue itself makes the audience think about who the Montague’s are. I think Shakespeare did this to make the audience really think about everything that has occurred in the first 10 minutes, and to put suspense into the play rather than telling the audience everything at the beginning. Sampson and Gregory are all talk and no action which is portrayed to the audience by bringing part of the Montague’s family into the scene where their arrogance slowly decreases as the Montague’s put them in their place. We can tell this through Shakespeare’s use of creative text: ‘Do you bite your thumb at us sir?’ biting your thumb was considered as a rude
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