Dramatic Irony In Romeo And Juliet

“I’ll re you, I’ll fa you. Do you note me?... Pray you, put up your dagger and put out your wit.” (4.5.124-128) Peter, a Capulet is talking to the musicians right after they learn that Juliet is ‘dead’, and he uses musical puns ( re, fa and note) in which his lines can be delivered comically in the tragic scene. However, the second musician follows up his threatening joke with a proposition the fight, quickly turning the scene from somewhat amusing to downright aggressive. Shakespeare uses the contrast between Comedy and Tragedy to accentuate the change in the mood of the play from lighthearted to catastrophic.
Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to create a comedic scene that is, in reality, quite dark. After Juliet drank the potion that makes her appear dead, the Nurse comes in and tries to wake her up for her wedding. The Nurse declares, “Marry, and amen! How sound is she asleep!/ I needs must wake her. --Madam, madam, madam!.../ Alas, alas! Help, help! My lady’s dead!” (4.5.10-17) The audience knows that Juliet is not, in fact, dead, but rather just sleeping. That can create a comical scene where, as we know that

Shakespeare is asking us to consider the fact that the audience has the ability to interpret the play however they want, and the way the actors say their lines can change the audience 's interpretation. He complicates our understanding by showing us that although the writer may have a specific intent, the actors can change the play entirely by the way they deliver their lines. Shakespeare challenges our understanding of life itself, for although we may feel happy and unconquerable, we all have our Achilles heel that changes comedy into tragedy. From upbeat to ruinous, Shakespeare utilizes the contradiction between Comedy and Tragedy to emphasize the shift in the tone of the