Romeo and Juliet Free Response One:

The classic love story of Romeo and Juliet has become the archetypal model for nearly every other tale of love since. Of all the brilliant scenes in Shakespeare’s renowned play, the balcony scene is most famous. In it, Romeo and Juliet meet for the second time and profess their undying love for one another. In this excerpt, Shakespeare chooses his words carefully to evoke a particular mood for the scene. The encounter is characterized by not only great passion, but also a fearful secrecy. This overall mood is achieved through the contrast of Juliet’s and Romeo’s lines and Shakespeare’s word choice and use of devices such as metaphor and personification throughout the scene.

Romeo is undeniably infatuated with his new love, Juliet. His lines are the most significant contribution to a mood of passion in this scene. Shakespeare has written lines that read almost like poetry. The consistent use of iambic pentameter throughout the excerpt contributes to the poetic feeling. Romeo’s passion is made clear also Shakespeare’s diction and use of narrative devices. Romeo goes on and on about love and its beautiful power. He spews metaphors as he professes his love, only adding to the passionate mood. He compares love to a bird, on whose “light wings” he supposedly scaled the wall. Romeo also consistently makes use of hyperbole. He claims that there lies more peril in Juliet’s eyes than in twenty threatening swords. He also states that his “life were better ended by their hate” than should he die without her love. Romeo concludes by personifying love as a counselor, who prompted him to inquire about and seek out Juliet. Everything about the words Shakespeare chooses for Romeo’s lines evokes passion and deep longing. His long, flowery lines seem almost like poetry, further adding to the passion of the scene.

Juliet’s lines, however, contrast greatly with Romeo’s. This contrast draws out the mood of secrecy and anxiety in the scene. While Romeo practically sings to Juliet of his love for her, she only responds with short, practical statements. These short lines show how concerned she is and anxious about the situation. Juliet first asks how and why Romeo is within the garden walls. Immediately after his poetic response, she warns him of what her family will do if he is found out. She practically ignores all of Romeo’s poetry and cannot think of anything but the danger involved. She speaks of death and murder, knowing the inevitable if he were found out. The mention that it is night and that the lovers are hidden by it’s “cloak” also adds to the fearful secrecy of the scene.

In this scene, Shakespeare is developing a mood of passionate secrecy. In order to achieve these very different feelings, he uses Romeo and Juliet’s lines as a contrast to one another. Romeo’s lines are long, poetic, and full of metaphors and other narrative devices. He characterizes the passion. Juliet’s lines, however, are very short, to the point, and very obviously full of worry. She characterizes the secrecy. By the varied syntax and contrasting diction, Shakespeare is able to brilliantly achieve a mood of passionate but fearful secrecy.