Compare and contrast the actions, characteristics and language of Romeo and Juliet before they meet and at the end of the play, with particular reference to act 2 scene 2 and act 5 scene 3
In Romeo and Juliet there are two main changes in character, most definitely until they met each other they seemed to be much different than they are later on in the play. Before they met at the banquet Romeo was in Love with Rosaline and he is disheartened and depressed and he used to feel sorry for himself “sad hours seem so long” because Rosaline didn’t feel the same way about him.
Juliet was a rather immature child and was under strict supervision of her parents, she was kept from the outside world, and didn’t really have much of a life outside her home. She couldn’t really have a proper relationship because she was only to have a lover if her parents agreed with them or chose them for her. They definitely wouldn’t have agreed with her to marry Romeo because he is a Montague and she was a Capulet.
As soon as Romeo and Juliet meet each other they share a sonnet with, and this really shows signs of maturity. In act 2 scene 2, this is only a few hours after the banquet we can see from Juliet’s proposal of marriage that she is willing to “follow [Romeo] throughout the world” This shows how Juliet matured in the space of one evening, after falling in love with Romeo she now feels much more independent and now she can even see her life in a different perspective, and maybe even parted from her family. On the other hand Romeo realises he has found the woman he wants to do be with for the rest of his life and uses such language to demonstrate his love for her “there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords” he would prefer to die by 20 of the capulets swords rather than living without her love. Romeo uses such language to emphasise that she is worthy and angel like, “two of the fairest stars in all the heaven” he is comparing her eyes to the bright stars of the night, and he also uses other imagery to express his opinion of her beauty “The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars” her cheeks are even brighter and more attractive than her eyes. Romeos has a sudden change of heart from Rosaline, he realises Juliet is the one from him and he was more in love with being in love before, but now he is no longer love sick and he has changed and he does love her and believes its not just a crush.
In act 5 scene 3 Romeo has a sudden change of character when he meets with Paris, Paris acts very aggressive and full of hatred towards Romeo for killing Tybalt and blames him for the suicide of Juliet, but Romeo doesn’t want to kill Paris all he wants his to die next to Juliet, “put not another sin upon my head” Romeo begs Paris not to fight.
In Romeos death speech there is an extended change of character from Romeo, He apologises to Tybalt “With that hand that cut thy youth in twain to sunder this that was thine enemy” he wants the man who killed tybalt to die and that is himself so he is dedicating part off his death to tybalt.
In Juliet’s much shorter and rushed death speech we learn that all juliet wants now she has seen Romeo dead is to kill herself “o happy dagger, this is thy sheath.” This is a very brief speech by Juliet but she thinks there is no aim in living if Romeo isn’t alive.
