Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Duologue Analysis Example

In this duologue, Shakespeare initially presents Juliet as annoyed and questioning the family feud and her love for Romeo. She asks Romeo to ‘deny thy father and refuse thy name’ so that he’ll no longer be a Capulet and then they can be together. She is also willing to give up her own name and ‘no longer be a Capulet’ so the family feud will no longer be in the way of their love. Juliet claims that names don’t matter as ‘that which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.’ In act 1 Romeo compares love to a thorn and says that it ‘pricks like a thorn’ to say that it seems sweet at first but as you get closer it hurts. This is a metaphor for the obstacles(thorns) in their relationship is their names and despite the family feud their feelings for each other are still present. In act 1 scene 5 Tybalt says ‘now seeming sweet, convert to bitt’rest gall’ to reflect on the first interaction between Romeo and Juliet which further shows that the falling in love at first sight led to their death. The duality of a rose can also reflect on Romeo and foreshadow Juliet's feelings towards him when he killed Tybalt. Shakespeare has used repetition of ‘Romeo’ to show that Juliet is denying his last name ‘which is no part of thee.’ When Juliet asks Romeo to ‘take all myself’ she wants him to trade his name for her showing that he cannot be both a Montague and in a relationship with her. 

Shakespeare presents Juliet as apathetic yet desperate to be with Romeo in this extract. Romeo uses the extended metaphor of an angel to describe her but unlike their first meeting, Juliet does not reciprocate the celestial imagery which demonstrates that she is more mature than Romeo and aware of the danger they’re putting themselves in by being in a relationship. In this extract, Juliet is unaware that Romeo can hear her, but she still addresses him by using ‘thou’ and ‘thy’ as if he is there with her, showing she is eager to see him again. Shakespeare has used polysyndeton in ‘nor hand nor foot nor arm nor face nor any other part’ to create a rhythmic beat which could represent her heart beating out of love for Romeo. However, this fast-paced phrase could also show her heart beating out of fear of the two getting caught  This also reflects on how Juliet is unable to fully show her passion because her mind is weighed down by thoughts of the family feud.  

In the play as a whole Shakespeare has subverted gender roles and written Juliet to be eager and lovesick for Romeo as well as the controlling one in the relationship. At the beginning of the play, she has no interest in marriage and says that ‘it is an honour that I dream not of’ when in the Elizabethan era to get married at her age is considered normal. However, after meeting Romeo she says ‘if he be married like to be my wedding bed'. As well as foreshadowing the couple’s death, this shows the impact that Romeo had on her and her entire view on marriage. In Juliet’s second soliloquy, Shakespeare has repeated the word ‘night’ throughout this extract which can reflect on how Romeo and Juliet can only meet at night-as Romeo said in the balcony scene he had ‘night’s cloak to hide me from their eyes.’ This can also show they haven’t had a wedding night yet and they haven't consummated the marriage as she describes it as ‘love performing’ which means it is an ideal night to perform act of love-particularly sexual ones. Juliet’s repetition of night shows she is eager to consummate the marriage and she is waiting for Romeo to come to her. She also uses Greek God imagery, particularly Phaëton who is a Sun God but he is also very impatient which reflects on how Juliet’s feeling towards the idea of consummating the marriage. She describes Romeo as a ‘mansion of love’ which is objectifying him. She says that she has ‘bought the mansion the love but not yet possess’d it’ which shows that Romeo will belong to her after they consummate the marriage. This shows conflict as in the patriarchal society of the Elizabethan era, usually the man in the relationship was the one who ‘owned’ the woman but here Shakespeare has given this role to Juliet to show how their relationship would be frowned upon by society. Shakespeare has used dramatic irony here as Romeo will not be able to consummate the marriage as he has been banished. When it is revealed to Juliet that Romeo is banished because he killed Tybalt, her mourning thoughts for her cousin are short lived and she goes back to using possessive adjectives such as ‘my husband’ or ‘my lord’ when before she used juxtaposed phrases such as ‘beautiful tyrant’ and ‘dove-feather’d raven’. She says ‘is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, all slain, all dead’ to show that for her, everyone being dead is better than Romeo being banished. This foreshadows the reason they died- they would rather be dead than separated from each other.