How does William Shakespeare create tension throughout Act 3 Scene 1?

Essay by josh14High School, 10th grade May 2004

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From the minute the play starts the audience are aware that the "star crossed lovers" Romeo and Juliet are going to die, this makes it clear that the play is a tragedy. A Tragedy is a traditional form of theatre where the main characters in the play die as a result of their tragic flaw, for example in the tragedy play Macbeth, Macbeth's vaulting ambition leads him to his death. Romeo and Juliet's flaw is the powerful love between them and it means their relationship has to be secret and this leads to Mercutio being killed by Tybalt and Romeo then killing Tybalt. The consequences of Romeo revenging Mercutios death by killing Tybalt means he is banished upon death.

When the play was written 'Romeo and Juliet' was already a well known story but the version that William Shakespeare borrowed did not include the love theme William Shakespeare added the love theme into the story.

The play Romeo and Juliet was written in 1594, and in this time women particularly were under their parents influence and there was no free choice on who you could marry. Teenage Rebellion was unthinkable because your parents would kick you out and in this time a woman was unable to get a job and with no money it would be hard to find a husband; this is why Romeo and Juliet's marriage was secret.

How a play is structured is an important way of creating tension for the audience like in Act 1 of 'Romeo and Juliet' it introduces the theme of love and hate between the two families Montague and Capulet. There is also a fight between the two family's servants because they hate each other but Tybalt (Capulet) turns up and the fight becomes even bigger than before. The reason Shakespeare...