Dramatic Tension In Romeo And Juliet

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: a tragic tale of two paramours with a love so fatal, it ended in their own death. A death so full of love, that it cured the rift between the two families that had made it so lethal in the first place. This essay will be focusing on the the strategies used, by comparing two different adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, to create dramatic tension in the famous entitled ‘Balcony Scene’ or Act II Scene ii. Shakespeare’s intention in this scene was to showcase how raw, beautiful, and terrifying love really is: Romeo listens to Juliet, from the shadows, speaking of her beauty admiringly, even though he knows she cannot hear him, as she comes to a conclusion with herself on her feelings about him. When Romeo reveals himself to Juliet, it’ scary–not because he scared her per say, but rather it’s scary to think what would happen to him if he were to be caught: their families hate each other. The two adaptations being compared in this essay are the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli film adaptation, and the 2011 Royal Shakespeare

The audience knows that the love story of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet is destined to fail, and are continuously aware of it throughout the course of the play: creating dramatic tension. As the audience’s hopes build up, so does the tension, created marvelously by Shakespeare, and the two different adaptations that chose to reconvey the famous ‘Balcony Scene’. Both adaptations are able to showcase the seemingly uninhibited and boundless love Romeo and Juliet have for each other, through the use of strategies such as dialogue, character, atmosphere, and setting. Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most tragic love story of all time, and it will continue to be so due to the intense scenes and even more intense love, that makes the Shakespeare classic one that will forever keep audiences on the edge of their