Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story, which was written in 1595 by William Shakespeare. The play is about a young couple who have fallen deeply in love with one another, but are unable to be happy because of the everlasting feud between the two families have together. In Romeo and Juliet long speeches are made by characters, to add suspense these speeches are called soliloquies and are used to express one’s true thoughts and feeling’s to the audience aloud, soliloquy in “Romeo and Juliet”.
The Friar’s soliloquy has a massive dramatic effect on the audience. I think this because in the Friar’s soliloquy it has a lot of opposites, tomb, womb, medicine, poison, weeds, flowers, night, day. These opposites give us the idea that the Friar is trying to tell us something by forwarding the plot; he starts to talk about life and death, “The earth that’s nature’s mother is her tomb, what is her burying grave that is her womb.” “Within the infant rind of this weak flower, Poison hath residence and medicine power.” The Friar reminds us of things that have already happened or are going to happen, the friar gives us a sort of premonition by saying “Poison” we know that Romeo die’s from poison. The Friar also says “And vice sometime by action dignified, “this gives us the impression that the Friar is talking about Romeo killing Tybalt, but Romeo very deeply regretting it.
The Friar’s soliloquy is before we are aware that Romeo and Juliet are going to marry so our emotions are running very high, as we are happy for them both. But then he goes on to talk about the aspects of living, which makes the audience feel very emotional.
We learn from the Friar’s soliloquy that his character is a very kind and thought full man, he thinks a lot about nature. As he talks about plants, day and night “the grey-eyed moon smiles on the frowning night, Check’ ring the eastern clouds with streaks of light:” We also learn that he’s very clever and a very knowledgeable man. The Friar talks a lot about the good and bad in plants and people. “In a man as well as herbs, grace and rude will; and where the worser is predominant”
The Friars soliloquy adds to our understanding that Shakespeare’s audience was interested in science and religion because the year that Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, it was the renaissance period, In the Friar’s soliloquy he talks a lot about science. “In plants, herbs, stones, and their true qualities;” “In the man as well as herbs, grace and rude will;” The Friar’s soliloquy adds dramatic effectiveness because of the techniques he uses, like dramatic irony this keeps the audience interested in what’s going to happen.
In Juliet’s soliloquy we learn a lot about Juliet’s feelings and thoughts. Juliet is a young girl deeply in love with Romeo “Give me my Romeo; and when I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine.” Juliet has just married the love of her life and she feels overwhelmed with happiness. Juliet is very excited yet nervous about spending the night with Romeo where she plans on having sex with him for the first time. Juliet comes across as very impatient. “Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds” She saying that she wants the sun to be taken away and the night to come quickly. “And bring in cloudy night immediately.” We are also aware that Juliet is worried about the families feud between the Montague’s, she wants to keep her marriage to Romeo a secret so she can be with him. “Spread thy close curtain, love performing night; that runaway’s eyes may wink,” As much as she’s excited and impatient about seeing Romeo she’s also very nervous and embarrassed about the fact she’s going to lose her virginity, “Hood my unmanned blood, bating in my cheeks.” Juliet’s says in her soliloquy, “O, I have brought the mansion of a love, but not possessed it; and though I am sold.” Juliet means by this that she’s has brought Romeo by marring him and has sold herself to Romeo by marring him and when she sleeps with him that will make the marriage solid.
In Juliet’s soliloquy the technique dramatic irony is used just like in the Friar’s soliloquy. “To an impatient child that hath new robes. And may not wear them,” Juliet’s imaging what life’s going to be like with Romeo, when the audience is aware that this isn’t going to happen, because Romeo has just killed Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. As the audience are aware of what has happened, this technique also adds dramatic effect because the audience feel ashamed for Romeo and pity and sorrow for Juliet, because she’s talking about how much she loves Romeo and how she wants to live happily ever after but Juliet may never see Romeo again because he has to be punished for killing Tybalt, the consequences are either to be banished from Verona or put to death.
Like the Friar’s soliloquy, Juliet’s also has opposite in it, this once again adds dramatic effectiveness as she wait for her Romeo, and talks about losing her virginity she use’s opposites as such as, “snow on a raven’s back, losing and winning, day and night.
Romeo’s soliloquy is the longest soliloquy from the three. In the soliloquy we learn that Romeo is very impulsive. He acted on without thought when he killed Tybalt and Paris and he’s also very upset because he believes Juliet is dead. “Call this a lightning? O, my love my wife! Death that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,” Dramatic irony is used again; Romeo believes that Juliet is dead, but the audience know that she’s just sleeping. Dramatic irony creates frustration, the audience are frustrated because they know that Juliet is just sleeping and she’s alive, so we are feeling very anxious. The length of the soliloquy also adds suspense because as Romeo is talking we are hoping that he’s going to talk just a little bit longer so that Juliet can wake up just before Romeo takes the poison. Fear also affects the audience because of the grotesque imagery, which reminds us of the tragedy in the story, and it also creates a suitable atmosphere for the misfortune in the scene, “With worms that are chambermaids. O here will I set up my everlasting rest.” Everlasting rest means to die, so when he says that the audience know that Romeo is going to kill himself.
The soliloquies in Romeo and Juliet all create suspense and have dramatic effectiveness. The Friar’s creates suspense by forwarding the plot and talking about science and religion. Juliet’s soliloquy creates suspense and dramatic effectiveness through dramatic irony and getting the emotions of the audience’s high. Romeo’s soliloquy creates suspense and dramatic effectiveness by the length; the fatal flaw the grotesques imagery and the dramatic irony in it.
I think that Romeo’s adds more suspense because the length of it makes the audience very anxious the dramatic irony makes the audience frustrated because we know she is alive we are all eager to find out whether Juliet will wake up in time to stop Romeo from dying or whether it will end in a fatal flaw.
