The two soliloquies express two totally different emotions. In each, there are different situations, one in which Juliet is longing for the time when Romeo will come to her for their wedding night where feelings of excitement and anticipation are portrayed. The opposing situation expresses feelings of fear, the fear of what would happen to her if she were to take the potion given to her by Friar Lawrence in order to try to prevent her from having to marry Paris. Although the soliloquies contrast in situation and emotion, the ways in which the feelings are portrayed are very similar.
In the first soliloquy, where Juliet is filled with anxiety and anticipation, waiting for the time when Romeo will come to her that night, the language Shakespeare uses creates a light joy-filled mood and an audience can feel the anticipation which Juliet is experiencing. “Come…Come” repetition is used throughout the soliloquy, which shows just how impatient Juliet is for the night to come. Words expressing speed are used frequently during the speech, “Gallop apace” “fiery footed” to reinforce Juliet’s impatience. She is longing for the time when Romeo comes to her that she wants it to come as fast as possible, so uses words to inflict speed to show this to the audience.
Juliet describes Romeo as the light, just as he had done to her when they first met. “Cut him out in little stars” Juliet describes how he will be scattered in the sky, and how everyone will then prefer night to day as they will see Romeo in the sky. “Pay no worship to the garish sun.” throughout the soliloquy. Juliet describes that night is “gentle” a time when everything will be perfect, and a time that everyone will love, as opposed to day. Shakespeare writes in long sentences which mean that the audience would be aware of the actress speeding up showing her excitement and anticipation. Juliet acts as if it is “the night before some festival” acting as excited as a child the night before Christmas.
Although Juliet is filled with anticipation for the night to come, she is also embarrassed and nervous about the events later that day as any young woman would be until she realises that because they love one another it would b a “true love acted of simple modesty”.
In contrast to the first, in the second soliloquy, Juliet expresses fear. She is afraid of what might happen if she was to take the potion. “Shall I be married then tomorrow morning?” her first fear is that the potion wont work and she will have to marry Paris, and therefore her actions would be unfaithful to Romeo of whom she had previously married. “Ministered to have me dead” Juliet fears that Friar Lawrence might be trying to kill her so she doesn’t have to marry Paris. Friar Lawrence already knowing he has married her to Romeo and therefore in marrying her to Paris he would be dishonoured. Juliet fears she would wake before Romeo arrives and she would die in the vault because there would be no air for her to breathe. “Shall I not then be stifled in the vault.” Juliet’s final fear is that she would go mad in the vault with all the bones of all her ancestors. Being among people who had been dead for years, or being around Tybalt who had only recently been placed in the vault. “And dash out my desperate brains.”
Unpleasant words and images are used throughout the soliloquy stressing the theme of death and eeriness of a vault in which many ancestors bones have been laid. The amount of images which Shakespeare envisions us with increases towards the end of Juliet’s speech showing the audience that she is becoming more upset and anxious as her thoughts run through her mind. The language Shakespeare has used enforces Juliet’s fear. The use of repetition used in the soliloquy also portrays Juliet’s desperation making the audience feel her emotion, the length of sentences and lack of punctuation shows the audience the stress and upset which Juliet is experiencing.
In both soliloquies, the same ways have been used to bring out two totally different circumstances. The different effects are brought out by the different words and language Shakespeare uses to make the audience see the different emotions which the soliloquies are used to express within the play.
