Friday 19 December 2008

What moments of dramatic irony occur in act 2 of Romeo and Juliet?

Dramaticoccurs when the audience knows what
the characters in a play do not.

As an audience, we are well aware by act 2
that Rosaline is history as far asis concerned, because he has fallen head over heels in love
with . Romeo's friends, however, have not caught up with the new set of affairs. Why would they?
Just a few hours ago, Romeo was insisting that Rosaline was the only woman in the world for him.
No other woman in the world would ever compare to Rosaline.

Thus, we
encounter dramatic irony in act 2, scene 4, asandwonder what became of the missing Romeo.
Mercutio says,

Why, that same pale hard-hearted wench,
that Rosaline,
Torments him so, that he will sure run mad.
This is dramatic irony, for we know that Rosaline is no longer
tormenting Romeo.
At the beginning of scene 5,
dramatic irony again occurs. We know that the nurse and Romeo have successfully connected and
set into motion the marriage plan, but the anxious Juliet does not yet have this information.
She is on tenterhooks, not knowing what her nurse learned, so dramatic irony is in play when
Juliet, worried about bad news, says:
Though news be
sad, yet tell them merrily.

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