There are two elements of irony in this important part of
the play when Romeo and Juliet first meet each other in Act I scene 5. The first is the
way in which Romeo is completely overwhelmed by instantaneous love for Juliet, in spite
of all of his love-sickness for Rosalind that he protested earlier on in the play. Note
what he says:
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it,
sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this
night.
In spite of how his
love for Rosalind sends him into a complete mood and makes him withdrawn and depressed,
Romeo suddenly forgets about Rosalind and becomes obsessed with
Juliet.
The second element of irony is clearly dramatic. We
know the identity of the object of Romeo's affection, even though he does not. We know
that the Capulets and Montagues are engaged in a feud that makes such a love impossible.
And yet, when Romeo inquires after Juliet's identity, he is not given a definite answer,
and thus he thinks he is free to continue loving Juliet without knowing of her true
identity.
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