On the other hand, Mercutio throws everything back into Benvolio’s face and totally pivots the situation. “thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as any in Italy.” Mercutio twists what Benvolio said about him. He tries convincing Benvolio that he is the one who usually starts the arguments for no reason. This becomes ironic, as at this point, the audience knows which one out of the two want to start a brawl.
After Mercutio and Benvolio have their own argument, Tybalt enters the scene. His words are, “Gentlemen, good e’een; a word with one of you.” Mercutio replies in a very provocative way as he is itching for a fight and this is ironic as the argument he just had with Benvolio was about him not being the one who starts the brawls. “Make it a word and a blow.” This is the start of the slow build up to the dramatic high point of the play, the tension is raised as the audience think about the Prince’s warning.
The argument between Mercutio and Tybalt escalates as when Mercutio is up for a brawl, it effects Tybalt’s reaction, as his reason for coming was to start a brawl but not with Mercutio himself. Tybalt enters the scene in a calm and well-mannered way; Mercutio is in Tybalt’s face and wants to fight. Shakespeare lets us know that the conversation between Mercutio and Tybalt is becoming less friendly from the way the two talk to each other, from ‘you’ it changed to ‘thou’, in Shakespearean times it was rude to say ‘thou’, ‘you’ is more polite.
Romeo enters the scene; who has just got married in a mood where he is all happy and loved up. His mood is very different to Mercutio and Tybalts. The dramatic irony is great, as the audience know that Romeo has just got married to Juliet and both Mercutio and Tybalt don’t. At this point Tybalt looses interest in Mercutio and goes for Romeo instead. His first words to Romeo are insulting in order to provoke a reaction. “Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford. No better term than this, thou art a villain” The audience know that Romeo cannot reply in a similar way, as Tybalt is now his cousin. He responds by trying to appease Tybalt, “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting: villain am I none, therefore farewell.” Tybalt wants a fight with Romeo as he gate crashed his party, he then responds with a challenge. The tension is high at this point of the play as it reminds us of the Prince’s warning. Romeo clearly does not want to fight and tries telling Tybalt that he is married to Juliet without actually telling him, “I do protest I never injured thee, but love thee better than thou canst devise.”
The dramatic irony is then shown when Mercutio doesn’t understand why Romeo is acting in such a weird way. Mercutio was already up for a brawl and still is even at this point, he wants the fight that Romeo doesn’t so he draws himself. Both Mercutio and Tybalt are spoiling for a fight and this is the point where the audience are satisfied that a fight is going to take place. Mercutio and Tybalt start fighting and as Romeo tries to break up the fight, he gets in-between the two and gives Tybalt the opportunity to go for the fatal blow. Stage directions explain this happening, “Tybalt under Romeo’s arm thrusts Mercutio in”
The verbal fight between Mercutio and Tybalt earlier on the scene later becomes physical when Mercutio draws his sword. Romeo at this point is aware of the consequences if the fight continues so he intervenes between them. “Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.” This is also the point where the tension between them has become even more powerful. Romeo backs up his plea with a reminder of the Prince’s warning, “The Prince expressly hath forbid this bandying in Verona streets.” Romeo’s desperation to stop the fight is seen when he asks Benvolio for help to beat down their weapons. “Draw, Benvolio, beat down their weapons. Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage” Romeo gets between the two and “Tybalt under Romeo’s arm thrusts Mercutio in.” Tybalt mortally wounds Mercutio.
This is truly the dramatic high point of the play as the consequences are far reaching. The audience now know that the play from now on has to become a tragedy. Mercutio provides the last evidence of comedy with his black humour, “Tomorrow you shall find me a grave man.”
Romeo feels guilt as Mercutio partly blames him for his death. His first words after being mortally wounded are, “ A plague O’ both your houses.”
The audience at this point understand Mercutio’s anger at getting caught up in the two families feud but can also be seen in many ways as the architect of his own downfall. The main reason why he was angry with Romeo is that he feels he was fighting for Romeo’s pride and honour.
Tybalts death has a big impact on Romeo. After killing Tybalt, he realises the consequences of killing him. His reaction to Tybalts death, “Oh I am fortunes fool”. He knows that the actions he took against Tybalt were his fate. Romeo feels as if he is being played with. This section of the scene helps it make it more dramatic through the pace of Bevolio’s, Tybalt’s and Romeo’s exchanges.
Romeo O, I am fortune’s fool.
Benvolio Why dost thou stay?
[Exit Romeo. Enter Officers]
As Romeo exits the stage from one side, all the officers enter the stage on the other side. The sudden arrival of lots of people on stage again highlights the drama of this for the audience. Throughout this part of the scene, everything becomes fast paced and many incidents happen over a short period so it increases the tension.
Benvolio knows that Romeo is now in a situation where his life will have to pay for what he had done. He wants Romeo to leave suddenly and he does this by urging him to leave. Romeo feels as if this was destined to happen. Even though Tybalt would have paid for Mercutio’s death, now that Romeo has killed Tybalt, he will have to pay for his death. Romeo is aware that if he had the courage to stand up for himself, then Mercutio may not have died and not been in a position where he would have to be killed.
The Prince enters the scene and asks, “Where are the vile beginners of this fray?” At this point Benvolio the peacemaker answers his first speech in iambic pentameter along with two rhyming couplets. The effect of this is to slow and calm down the hectic situation. Benvolio wants to be persuasive and make his speech formal, “ There lies the man, slain by young Romeo, That slew thy kinsman brave Mercutio.”
Lady Capulets response is completely different to Benvolios speech. She shows how angry and distressed she is to the audience by making it clear that she wants revenge. Her hatred is seen towards Romeo, as she wants him dead. “Tybalt, my cousin, O my brother’s child! O Prince, O husband, O, the blood is spilled of my dear kinsman.” Other indications of Lady Capulet being angry and distressed are seen. Her speech includes short sentences to emphasize what she is saying, the exclamation marks shows she is distressed and emotional at this particular moment of time. Lady Capulet wants revenge, “Prince, as thou art true, For blood of ours shed blood of Montague.”
Bevolio’s gives a long speech that includes an account of all that happened between Romeo, Mercutio and Tybalt. Although his speech is being fair in terms of fact, he twists the story with his clever use of language. He recalls Romeo not the one wanting to fight and refers to him as being, “gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bowed” and states that Tybalt was “death to peace”.
The Prince comes across as though he is angry at the events that have occurred during the scene. He has lost patience with both the families. Mercutio was a blood relative and so the Prince feels his loss. “My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a-bleeding” His concise speech is written in iambic pentameter along with rhyming couplets, the shortness of the sentences he uses are there to make it clear that he is dead serious. There is neither comedy nor romance in any of his speech, “I will be death to pleading and excuses; nor tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses”.
Montague makes his last plea to the Prince. “His fault concludes but what the law should end. The life of Tybalt.” What Romeo’s father is saying is that Romeo has only carried out what the law would have done to Tybalt anyway. The Princes last words are his final “Let Romeo hence in haste, else, when he is found, that hour is his last”. The last speech of the scene establishes the true horror that now has to befall Romeo and Juliet as Romeo is banished. He wouldn’t be in a situation where he could get away with what he had done.
Shakespeare makes it clear through cleverly placing a very quiet scene with only Juliet on stage after the up roar and action that has taken place in Act 3 Scene 1. This emphasizes Act 3 Scene 1’s importance. Juliet’s soliloquy strikes the audience as an important piece of dramatic irony as she wishes the day away in order to speed up her seeing Romeo again, when the audience know that Romeo is to be banished.
Act 3 scene 1 is clearly the dramatic high point of this play, this is created in many ways through Shakespeare’s exceptional ideas; he has cleverly used dramatic irony that takes place many times during the play in order to increase the audiences anticipation, this also creates the suspense. The audience feel as though they are partially involved with the play and this is how Shakespeare keeps his audience interested. In addition, Shakespeare puts the high point right in the middle of the play; everything up to this point is comedy and everything after it turns into a tragedy. By putting two contrasting scenes either side of Act 3 scene one, Shakespeare has effectively increased and decreased the pace of the scene and inevitably increases the tension to the build up of the dramatic high point. The stage becomes busy many times during the scene to create a chaotic atmosphere, this leads to the tension building up and for the audience it becomes exceptionally hectic. I think the way Shakespeare has played with Romeo’s outcome happens to be very touching for the audience as they feel Romeo has been particularly hard done by. Mercutio’s last words reflect on what happens after his death, nothing but a tragedy.
“A plague O both your houses”
