First Impressions & Juliet's Effect

First Impressions of Romeo

Romeo is a young man. At the start of the play, we should view Romeo as immature, childish, and an almost comic character.

Exaggerated love for Rosaline

In Act 1 (until the party in Scene 5) we see how immature he is. He repeatedly declares his love for Rosaline and complains that she does not love him back.
In Act 1, he exaggerates his love for, and obsession with, Rosaline. He repeatedly says that his feelings are unrequited (not felt back).
He uses a lot of oxymorons (opposite ideas), such as 'O brawling love! O loving hate!' and 'misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms!' to highlight how confused and depressed he feels.

Immature view of love

Shakespeare shows Romeo’s childish nature when he presents him as a boy who is more in love with the idea of being in love, rather than being in love with an actual person.

Juliet effect

Shakespeare shows Romeo’s childishness again when he sees Juliet in A1 S5 and completely forgets about Rosaline.
Romeo says 'Did my heart love till now… For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.'
He admits that these apparently intense feelings for Rosaline were not real.

Tragic character

Romeo is a tragic character, not just because he dies, but because he makes rash decisions and suffers bad luck.

Juliet's Effect on Romeo

When Romeo sees Juliet in A1 S5, he is transfixed by her (can’t focus on anything but her). He immediately falls in love with her.

Initially immature

Initially, Romeo is still presented as childish after he meets Juliet.
He keeps trying to woo her (gain her love) by speaking in sonnets (which are traditionally love poems) to exaggerate his love for her.

Matures

But Juliet is not easily won over, and Romeo’s language begins to change as he adapts to her needs and woos her (gains her love).
- In Act 2, Romeo starts to speak less in sonnets and more in a mixture of sonnets and blank (non-rhyming) verse. This means his feelings sound more genuine as his language sounds more natural.
This transition from childish boy to a more mature young adult may make audiences like Romeo more as he becomes a more genuine, likeable character.

1Context

1.1Context

1.1.1Tragedy & Setting

1.1.2Relationships

1.1.3Religion & Fate

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Context

2Plot Summary

3Key Characters

3.1Romeo

3.1.1First Impressions & Juliet's Effect

3.1.2Character Development

3.1.3Reactions & Key Quotes

3.2Juliet

3.2.1First Impressions & Character Development

3.2.2Tragic Character

3.2.3Key Quotes

3.2.4End of Topic Test - Romeo & Juliet

3.3Mercutio

3.3.1Characterisation

3.3.2Key Quotes

3.4The Nurse, Benvolio & Tybalt

3.4.1The Nurse

3.4.2Benvolio

3.4.3Tybalt

3.5Friar Laurence

3.5.1Characterisation

3.5.2Key Quotes

3.5.3End of Topic Test- Mercutio, Nurse & Benvolio

3.5.4End of Topic Test - Tybalt & Friar Laurence

3.6Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.6.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.6.2Grade 9 - Key Characters: Extract Analysis

4Key Themes & Concepts

4.1Power & Danger of Love

4.1.1Romeo's Loves

4.1.2Friendship & Family

4.1.3Violent Love

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Love

4.2Violence, Fate & Gender

4.2.1Violence, Conflict & Suicide

4.2.2Exam-Style Questions - Violence & Death

4.2.3Fate & Destiny

4.2.4Gender

4.2.5End of Topic Test - Violence, Fate & Gender

4.2.6Grade 9 - Key Themes

5Writing Techniques

5.1Writing Techniques

5.1.1Language, Rhythm & Rhyme

5.1.2Symbolism & Imagery

5.1.3Dramatic Irony & Soliloquys

5.1.4End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

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