Why is there a sense of urgency? Why is the time in the 2nd 1/2 more rushed than the 1st? Why did Shakespeare compress time to a few days, not months? What role does time play?

Shakespeare wants the whole obsessive love thing to be amplified by shortening the time frame. The second half also quickens to tighten the tension. Shakespeare, by the second half of the play, has established and crossed all the safer perimeters. Now he can throw everything together in one explosive finish.

The sense of urgency drives the entire play. For example, there was a sense of urgency when Juliet committed suicide. She felt that she could not live without Romeo and was urgent to kill herself. By compressing the time to a few days, Shakespeare amplifies Romeo and Juliet’s obsessive love in a way. As the second half of the play is rushed, it tightens the tension. The role of time plays a major role in this tragedy, and again, drives the entire play.