Juliet is represented as a quiet, and obedient, girl who shows maturity beyond her age. She develops from a naïve girl who is dependent on her family to a woman who is self-assured, loyal and capable. In this scene, the nurse confuses Juliet and she is distraught when she thinks that Romeo is dead. She finally realises that Romeo has killed Tybalt and expresses her distress at Tybalt’s death by the man she loves. The mood changes throughout the scene. Juliet’s impatience turns to horror when she believes Romeo is dead, and then to anguish and confusion when she realises that Romeo has killed Tybalt. The general mood throughout this passage is bleak and characterised by despair. Key lines in the scene include - “O, break my heart! Poor …show more content…
“Can heaven be so envious?” She questions whether heaven has a spiteful character for taking Romeo from her. The personification lets the audience feel Juliet’s anguish and bitterness that Romeo is dead, and creates a mood of sorrow and loss. Juliet uses oxymorons to express her confusion at Tybalt’s death by the man she loves. E.g. ”Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelical! Dove-feathered raven! Wolfish-ravening lamb!” The oxymorons represent the two opposing truths. Romeo has committed an evil deed by killing Tybalt but he is also a good and beautiful person who Juliet loves. The oxymorons help the audience to understand Juliet’s confusion. The words also help create tension for the audience. Does Romeo deserve to be despised as a murderer or is he a beautiful person involved in an unfortunate incident? Descriptive imagery is also used to provide insight into Juliet’s contradictory emotions. “O serpent heart hid with a flowering face. Did ever dragon keep so a fair a cave?” The pictures depict the contradiction - the evil snake disguised with a beautiful face and the terrible dragon with his beautiful appearance. The descriptive imaginary helps reflect Juliet’s pain and distress to the audience. The words create a mood of