A. 3. With regard to the first 12 lines of this scene, what is the
intended effect of Sampson and Gregory's dialogue?
Shakespeare wants the audience to receive a comprehensive
history of Gregory and Sampson's lives as servants of the house of
Capulet.
B. Shakespeare's puns and jabs are intended to provide the
audience with lighthearted humor.
C. Shakespeare aims to capture the audience's attention by
beginning the play with two characters with villainous tendencies.
D. Shakespeare's depiction of the servants as overworked and
underappreciated aims to help the audience develop a sense of deep
sympathy for the characters.

first of all the mood needs to be defined: it is obviously a mood of deceitful relief and serenity. why? because the cape horn is one of the most violent maritime regions of earth and although it has been left behind, it is a personification of ahab’s delirium and the fact that the end of the passage speaks about it about being “hidden” but “raving” immediately conveys the feeling the calm is not permanent but fleeting.

furthermore, the oxymoron “mild stun'sails” is the first instance of such feeling as the adjective “mild” is associated with “stunned” underscoring the fleeting nature of this “tranquil” moment. and the contrasts keep piling up, with the opposition between “dark den” and “blessed light and air” to end with the final conclusion that leaves the reader with the uneasy knowledge that this is just a reprieve.

explanation:

yessum

attitude toward the subject implied in a literary work.

serious at times, angry, impassioned, and optimistic, but most of all urgent