Foreshadowing In Romeo And Juliet Essay

Romeo and Juliet is filled with literary devices that affect the outcome of the play and the audience’s understanding of the events. The prologue and the first scene of the tragedy serve as an example of this. Foreshadowing is the hinting of events to come at a later part of a play. Lines 1-14 of the prologue foreshadow the suicides of the two lovers, Romeo and Juliet and how their suicides ultimately end the feud between their enemy families. Shakespeare includes foreshadowing in this scene to tell the audience exactly what is going to happen in the play. This foreshadowing affects how the audience understands Act 1 Scene i of the tragedy. In lines 82-103 of the scene, the Prince of Verona tells Montague and Capulet that death will be the penalty if their families do not stop fighting. The audience understands the dramatic irony of this scene. Because Shakespeare foreshadows the death of Romeo and Juliet in the prologue, the audience knows that death is ultimately the penalty that results from their fighting. This foreshadowing also affects the entire tragedy. Even before the play has begun, Shakespeare provides the audience with the knowledge that Romeo and Juliet will die. Therefore, Shakespeare develops tragic

The chorus prepares the audience for the events that are going to occur in the play. The chorus affects the following scene because he or she is grabbing the audience’s attention and preparing them to watch the play unfold. The chorus affects the play as a whole because he eliminates suspense. The audience knows that Romeo and Juliet are going to die. Therefore, the audience focuses on the events that lead to their deaths and how these events affect Romeo and Juliet. Their attention is drawn to the finer details of the play because they are already aware of the catastrophic events that are going to take