Peter (1st servingman in Folger) and the servants scramble with preparations for the feast. The first servingman (2nd servingman in Folger) seems unbothered, but Peter feels a bit more like Gordon Ramsay, throwing a tantrum about other servants not living up to their responsibilities. The names of the characters in this section are a bit interesting, as they generally have traditionally English names or work based nicknames (Peter, Nell, Susan, Potpan), whereas the characters that move the plot along have more traditionally Italian sounding names (Romeo, Benvolio, Mercutio, etc).
Capulet is joyful and working to engage his guests and get the party started. He’s fairly overfamiliar, suggesting that the reason some women are not dancing is because they have corns on their feet. He’s lacking self awareness a bit here, but it is well meant. He’s probably at least a little bit drunk.
Romeo is completely awestruck by Juliet’s beauty, and expresses his admiration through simile and personification, waxing poetic about how much more beautiful she is compared to the other women in attendance, and how much she stands out (a diamond earring against the dark skin of an Ethiopian woman; a white dove among a crowd of black crows). The sudden change in his affection is clear when he claims that he “ne’er saw true beauty until this night” (which completely vindicates Benvolio’s assertion that all he needed was to meet other women in order to get over Rosaline).
Tybalt recognizes Romeo’s voice, so the disguise of his masquerade costume does not protect him, and Tybalt immediately calls for a servant to fetch his sword, intending to kill Romeo. He is interrupted by Capulet, who cautions Tybalt against starting violence, for various reasons:
The party is going well, and he does not want to spoil the evening
He has heard good things about Romeo, and wouldn’t want to see him harmed
It is reasonable to assume that Capulet can see the big picture, and even though Capulet would not be breaking Prince’s law to attack Romeo on Capulet’s property, he understands that Montague would likely retaliate, and that both heads of the family are under threat by Prince
Tybalt is committing a cultural taboo here by challenging the head of a household on his own property, especially while hosting an event. The tradition of Pater Familias in Italian culture, stemming from the laws of Ancient Rome would allow Capulet full authority and absolute law and control over everyone else in his own home. Tybalt’s accusation that Capulet should be ashamed for letting this slide sends Capulet into a rage. (Capulet’s drunkenness probably contributes to his wrath
As the conversation between Tybalt and Capulet winds down, Capulet is caught between admonishing Tybalt and greeting other party guests as they pass by (note the dashes in his lines where he interrupts himself).
The format of this conversation matters as much as the words themselves. The conversation between the two lovers when the first meet forms a sonnet, which Shakespeare’s audience may well have recognized as it unfolded (in the way that a modern audience can tell from the first few seconds of a love ballad what kind of a song they’re listening to). Shakespeare would not have had access to an orchestra pit, or soundtrack elements, so poetry is the tool he could utilize to underscore the importance and tenderness of the moment. It’s likely that the audience would have noticed that the moment they meet, Romeo and Juliet spontaneously explode into love poetry. Furthermore: the two get more and more intertwined as the sonnet progresses: stanza 1 is 100% said by Romeo (4 lines), stanza 2 is 100% said by Juliet (4 lines), stanza 3 is 50% said by Romeo and 50% said by Juliet (2 lines each), and the couplet is split between them also (1 line each). They become increasingly intertwined with each other the more the speak to each other. To me, it feels like they become caught in each other’s gravity, and accelerate toward each other in an emotional explosion.
The actual meaning of the words has relevance here as well. For all the sudden, emotional, violent romance, the way that Romeo expresses his interest in Juliet (and how she responds) is remarkably chaste. He likens her to a saint and a shrine, and she compares him to a holy pilgrim. The poem upon which the play is based paints Romeo and Juliet as disobedient, self-centered youths, who disregarded their parents and got what was coming to them. In Shakespeare’s version, their careful observation of religious ideals works against the idea that Romeo and Juliet were blinded by lust. Their feelings for each other feel as much holy as they do passionate.