The Romeo and Juliet balcony scene is one of the most famous moments in all of Shakespeare's work. Explore the balcony scene through an analysis of the major plot points and discover its significance to the narrative.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene | Summary, Significance & Analysis
Table of Contents
- Romeo and Juliet Summary
- Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene Explained
- Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene Analysis
- Lesson Summary
- FAQs
- Activities
Real or Fake Love:
The audience is likely asking the same question as Juliet asks of Romeo: how real is this love? Put on your detective glasses and choose one (or more!) of the following three activities.
The Debate:
Write a persuasive piece of 500 words arguing your opinion on whether Romeo really loves Juliet or not; however, you can only use scenes that occur before (and during) the balcony scene. Clue: Pay special attention to Romeo's poetry about Rosaline in Act 1, Scenes 1 and 4, and compare it with Romeo's poetry in the balcony scene.
The Double:
Exchange your detective glasses for Romeo's or Juliet's costumes. Write your own poem of fourteen lines using iambic pentameter expressing either Juliet's love for Romeo, or Romeo's love for Juliet. Use metaphors and imagery to express yourself. Clue: you are allowed, but not required, to break iambic pentameter (you can add or drop a syllable or word) once.
The Decoder:
Write a modern version of the balcony scene that conveys the same sentiments as the original. You do not have to use iambic pentameter, or go line by line. Clue: it may help to go through and summarize each of Romeo and Juliet's statements first, and it may help to break the speeches down to the core of what they are saying, without imagery.
Clues:
The Debate:
Romeo invokes traditional, then-cliché metaphors in his earlier lovesick poetry over Rosaline, while the metaphors and imagery in the balcony scene were highly unique at the time. For example, referring to a female lover as ''the moon'' was a cliché, and so Romeo referring to Juliet as ''the sun'' (usually a masculine metaphor) would have stood out to audiences.
The Double:
Answers will vary widely. Should you break iambic pentameter (as Shakespeare occasionally does), make sure the break is used to emphasize the line that it occurs in.
The Decoder:
Answers will vary widely. For example, when Juliet states that Romeo's being a Montague does not matter to her, she might say: ''What does it matter he's a Montague? I'm still myself regardless of my name, and he's still the same person I kissed an hour ago.''
What is the summary of the story Romeo and Juliet?
Romeo and Juliet truly are "star crossed lovers", because their love is forbidden by their families' hatred for each other. They try to move past their family names, but the feud causes them to enlist others to help them. These plans go dreadfully wrong, and both Romeo and Juliet die.
What does the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet symbolize?
The balcony scene in some ways symbolizes the separation between Romeo and Juliet. Although they declare their love for each other in this scene, they are separated by the garden wall. They are also separated by the hatred that exists between the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo and Juliet will be married briefly, but by the end of the play they are separated by death.
Table of Contents
- Romeo and Juliet Summary
- Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene Explained
- Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene Analysis
- Lesson Summary
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is such a well-known play that even the names of the title characters have come to evoke images of love and romance. In one of the play's first lines, however, readers are warned that there is a darker side to the story of Romeo and Juliet. As the Chorus says in the play's Prologue, "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life".
As the play begins, Romeo, a member of the Montague family, is moping and lovesick because he loves a girl named Rosaline, but she does not return his affections. Romeo's friends and relatives are involved in other matters; the feud between the Montague and Capulet families has spilled onto the streets of Verona, and the citizens are growing angry about the continuing violence. The latest encounter involves Benvolio, who is a Montague, and Tybalt, a Capulet. The fighting is stopped by the intervention of citizens and Prince Escalus, who arrives during the brawl. The prince issues an edict calling for the death of anyone disturbing the peace in Verona.
Juliet, a Capulet, learns that a man named Paris is interested in marrying her. Her father is planning a masquerade that evening so Juliet can spend time with Paris and decide if she wants to marry him. Meanwhile, Romeo and Benvolio are walking around discussing Romeo's longing for Rosaline. They encounter the Capulets' servant, who is distributing invitations to the masquerade, and decide to go to the party since they can be disguised in masks. Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulets' party and falls in love with her immediately. They flirt, and Juliet seems interested in Romeo as well. After Romeo leaves the party, he hides in the garden beneath Juliet's room. He looks up to see Juliet standing on her balcony.
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Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene Summary
In a soliloquy, a scene in which a single character speaks aloud, Romeo compares Juliet to the sun. This is an apt comparison, since he has been mired in darkness and melancholy over his one-sided love for Rosaline. The hope of a new love with Juliet is like the sun to Romeo, bringing light to his despair. He continues to speak of Juliet's beauty, and when Juliet rests her head in her hands, Romeo says that he wishes he could be the glove on Juliet's hand so that he could caress her cheek.
Juliet, still unaware of Romeo's presence in the garden, calls out his name. Referring to the feud between their two families, Juliet says that Romeo should give up his name on behalf of love. If not, she is willing to put aside the Capulet name for him. Romeo speaks, startling Juliet because she has thought she was alone. She asks how he managed to get into the garden and suggests that he is risking his life because of the ongoing feud. Romeo says that he is willing to endanger himself for Juliet's love.
Romeo and Juliet declare their love for each other and vow that they want to be together for life. Suddenly, Juliet's nurse call for her to come inside. Juliet enters the house briefly, but she returns to the balcony. She tells Romeo that she will send a messenger to him the next day; if Romeo has honorable intentions, he should tell the messenger the location for their wedding vows. Romeo agrees and they part.
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Juliet laments that Romeo's name is her enemy because of her family's quarrel with the Montagues. "O, be some other name! / What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet," Juliet says. She understands that his name does not change who he really is, and she loves him despite the Montague name.
Romeo promises Juliet that he loves her: "Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear / That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops." Juliet cautions him not to swear by the moon since it is always changing, and she is seeking a constant love.
Juliet wants to be certain that Romeo really loves her, so she suggests sending a messenger to Romeo to confirm that they are to be married. The messenger can then tell her "Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite; / And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay / And follow thee my lord throughout the world". Romeo and Juliet leave, planning to marry the next day.
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As in most of his plays, Shakespeare employs iambic pentameter in Romeo and Juliet. Iambic meter consists of stressed and unstressed syllables, and pentameter means that there are five units of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. For example, the first line Romeo utters on seeing Juliet on the balcony uses iambic pentameter: "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?"
In this line, Romeo refers to Juliet as a light, and later he says Juliet is the sun. Of course, Juliet is not literally the sun; here, Romeo uses a metaphor, or a stated comparison, likening Juliet to the sun. Later in the balcony scene, Romeo swears by the moon. The light and dark imagery, introduced first in the balcony scene, appears throughout the play.
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William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is one of his most well-known plays, and the balcony scene in this play is one of the most well-known scenes in his works. Despite their families' differences, Romeo and Juliet declare their love for each other on the balcony and vow to be together for the rest of their lives. As the play later reveals, their lives will be short as a result of a series of conflicts and miscommunications. Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter in the play, and the text is filled with imagery of light and darkness, as shown in the contrast between the sun and the moon in this scene. Romeo views Juliet as the source of all light in his life, even metaphorically referring to her as the sun.
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Video Transcript
Summary of the Balcony Scene
The balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous scenes in all of Shakespeare's plays. It follows the meeting of Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, at a masquerade party in Juliet's home. Romeo and his friends sneak into the party, uninvited, and when Romeo sees Juliet, he is instantly smitten. After the party, Romeo ditches his friends, jumps over the Capulets' garden wall, and searches for Juliet.
Romeo hides in the garden and soon observes Juliet walking onto the balcony outside her room. Romeo says, 'But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.' When Romeo sees Juliet, he feels hope; it is as if the sun is rising. This is important to note, as Romeo has just spent several weeks pining over an unrequited love, Rosaline. When he sees Juliet at the party, Rosaline is instantly forgotten.
The Balcony
Juliet leans against the edge of the balcony, placing her chin in her hand, and Romeo whispers, 'O, that I were a glove upon that hand {t}hat I might touch that cheek!' Romeo then compares Juliet to an angel, someone immortal and not of this world.
It is at this time that Juliet speaks some of Shakespeare's most famous lines: 'O Romeo, Romeo! {W}herefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; {o}r, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, {a}nd I'll no longer be a Capulet.'
What she speaks is truly significant because, although she doesn't realize Romeo is listening, Juliet wrestles with this possibility of loving the son of her families' sworn enemy. She admits that she is willing to marry him regardless of their unfortunate situation. She rationalizes her feelings for Romeo as she goes on to say that the name 'Montague' is simply a name, just as a rose would still smell as 'sweet' if it were called something else. At the end of this monologue, she states, 'Take all myself,' and of course, Romeo is delighted with what he hears.
Romeo must have startled Juliet as he jumped out of his hiding place, revealing that he has been eavesdropping on her private, spoken thoughts. He swears to take her at her word and be called something other than 'Romeo' if that's what it takes to win her heart.
When Juliet realizes it is Romeo, she reminds him that he could be put to death if he is discovered because he is a Montague. Romeo tells her that he would risk anything to see her, and Juliet wonders how he found her room. It is humorous that Romeo replies, 'By love, who first did prompt me to inquire; {h}e lent me counsel and I lent him eyes.' Romeo explains that he found her room because love showed him the way.
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Juliet admits she is blushing but challenges whether or not Romeo's love is genuine. After all, they only just met at the party that very night. She also doesn't want Romeo to think she is too quickly won, or easy, lest he may later devalue her or think of her as cheap. Juliet didn't intend for Romeo to overhear how she felt about him and is now a little embarrassed.
Romeo declares he will swear by the moon that his love is true, but Juliet states that the moon is too fickle, ever changing. She challenges him to simply swear by himself, the 'god of {her} idolatry.' But, once again, Juliet pulls back, stating that the relationship is developing too quickly, that a romance that suddenly sizzles can also suddenly fade. Romeo counters her argument by pressing her for an answer. Would she exchange {her} love's faithful vow for {his}?' Juliet's reservations fade, and she says yes.
Juliet's nurse calls her inside, but when Juliet returns to the balcony, she tells Romeo she will marry him the next day, saying, 'And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay {a}nd follow thee my lord throughout the world.' Juliet's commitment comes with the risk of enraging both her family and Romeo's. The couple reluctantly says good night, and Romeo states, 'A thousand times the worse, to want thy light. Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books, but love from love, toward school with heavy looks,' comparing their separation to the feelings of schoolboys when they are headed back to school. The two manage to meet again on the balcony, despite Juliet's ever-watchful nurse, until Juliet says the famous lines, 'Good night, good night! {P}arting is such sweet sorrow,' and Romeo exits.
Analysis
Shakespeare uses both iambic pentameter and metaphor to reveal the hearts of Romeo and Juliet. Consider the line, 'But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?' This line is written in iambic pentameter. There are five feet of unstressed/stressed syllables. Many of Shakespeare's lines were written in this fashion and crafted so well that one may easily miss seeing the meter altogether. Also, we see metaphor in this line as Juliet is compared to the sunrise. Shakespeare continues to use metaphors throughout this scene.
This incredibly sweet and passionate scene has stirred hearts for centuries, and the poetic nature of their vows is unforgettable. However, the infatuation of this young couple - Romeo at 16, and Juliet, 13 - can be easily mistaken for love. Having just met a few hours earlier, they are now engaged and determining a precarious path for their lives due to the feud between their families. If ever a young couple needed counsel and wise advice, it was Romeo and Juliet. However, the tragedy ensues, and their relationship ends in death, leaving us to hope these star crossed lovers met more happily on the other side of the grave.
Learning Outcomes
After this lesson, you should be able to:
- Summarize the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet
- Identify some of the most famous lines from this scene
- Describe Shakespeare's use of iambic pentameter and metaphor in the balcony scene
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Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene | Summary, Significance & Analysis
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