Shakespeare presents Tybalt as hotheaded and aggressive. Whenever we see him he is fighting or trying to provoke someone. Tybalt insults Mercutio because he is Romeo’s friend. He doesn’t insult him so viscously because it’s Romeo who he actually wants to fight. Mercutio insults Tybalt back, calling him, “Good King of Cats”. Tybalt was a common name for cats in the Elizabethan times. Tybalt calls Romeo a villain, which was the worst insult in Shakespearean times. When Tybalt was talking to Mercutio he was joking with him in some ways and didn’t really want to fight him. When he started talking to Romeo he was deadly serious and he actually wanted to fight and kill Romeo.
Romeo uses the word “love” to show that he loves his wife’s family. Tybalt thinks Romeo is being sarcastic so he says, “the love I bear thee”. Tybalt uses “love” for exactly the opposite meaning. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony. Romeo actually means what he says to Tybalt, but Tybalt doesn’t understand because he doesn’t know Romeo has married Juliet. The main themes in the play are love, hate, the feud between the two families and fate. Romeo did not want to fight at all but ended up murdering Tybalt. This shows he couldn’t avoid his destiny. Romeo underlines his love for Tybalt by saying,
“Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage
To such a greeting”, and by stating,
“Love thee better than throw caust devise”.
Mercutio didn't understand why Romeo did not want to fight Tybalt. Tybalt calls Romeo and the Montagues all sorts of names and Romeo doesn’t do anything about it. In Elizabethan times it was really important to protect your own family's reputation and honour. Mercutio couldn't believe Romeo acted like a coward when Tybalt called him a “villain” which was the worst insult. This is another example of dramatic irony, which Shakespeare uses because Mercutio doesn’t know about the marriage either. The audience would be on Romeo’s side because they know that Romeo is married to a Capulet but Tybalt is just ridiculing Romeo. Every time Tybalt is around the audience know there’s trouble in the air. Tybalt is always trying to make things worse than showing that he’s really argumentative. Romeo showed the opposite of that trying to calm things down. Mercutio enrages Tybalt by constant use of a cat metaphor. Mercutio knows that Tybalt’s name is a common name for cats so he calls him a “rat-catcher” and a “King of Cats”. When Mercutio was hurt by Tybalt he even said, “Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch, marry ‘tis enough”. I do not think Tybalt meant to kill Mercutio. He only wanted to humiliate or embarrass him because he was protecting Romeo. After all, Romeo was the one Tybalt wanted to fight. If Romeo had not of dashed between the two fighters it wouldn’t have happened.
The Franco Zeffirelli version of “Romeo and Juliet” starts the scene with a play-fight between Tybalt and Mercutio. In the beginning they are only joking and not being serious. It becomes more and more serious when Romeo refuses to fight and Mercutio and Tybalt fail to understand why. In this film version it is made obvious that Tybalt didn't mean to kill Mercutio. It was only done accidentally and Tybalt was horrified too. The director uses slow, rhythmic music to show tension and the drama in this turning point in the play.
Romeo’s love for Juliet has affected his thoughts and his behaviour towards Tybalt. Romeo’s first thoughts about Mercutio’s death were that it was himself to blame. If he had of fought Tybalt in the first place, Mercutio wouldn't have gotten involved in the fight and would not of been stabbed. Then Romeo changed his mind. He blamed Tybalt and ran after him to fight him. Earlier he tried to calm Tybalt down and avoid fighting but now, after Mercutio’s death he becomes more serious and is determined to avenge his friend, “Now Tybalt take the ‘villain’ back again
That late then gavest me”. His words contrast with his words of love in Act 1 Scene 5 when he said to Juliet at the Capulet masked ball. “He go in triumph, and Mercutio slain?”, here Romeo is annoyed because he thinks Tybalt came back to gloat over Mercutio’s body. This has given Romeo another reason to fight Tybalt.
All the scenes before Act 3 Scene 1 have led to this turning point and all the events that happened after this Scene are because of it. For example, Benvolio vanishes after the Scene and we never see him again. In all the scenes his role is to be a peacemaker but he failed to keep peace between Tybalt, Mercutio and Romeo in Act 3 Scene 1. Two major characters, Mercutio and Tybalt, have been killed because of the feud. The violence between the two families is escalating therefore. Romeo’s character has changed quickly after the fight: he does not change his mind anymore. Romeo also becomes much more hard-hearted. There's no more fun or humor in the play because Mercutio, the joker, has died. Romeo has always believed he wouldn’t live too long. After he met Juliet he had thoughts of living with her happily. Now we can see he’s made up his mind as he killed Tybalt and believes dying early is his destiny. There is no turning back now. Two people have been killed because of the feud. The moral viewpoint Shakespeare is presenting is that love triumphs. As Romeo and Juliet die for loving each other, I would say the two families would have to make up for their children who die for love. Shakespeare is commanding on Tybalt, Romeo and Mercutio’s fighting. All three of them fought for their reputation and the result of that was Tybalt and Mercutio’s death. Shakespeare is trying to show why there is violence in the first place if they had not have fought there would not be any deaths.
Any audience would find this scene appealing because it contains comedy, romance and violence. It basically has everything so it is an exciting scene. An Elizabethan audience would have been vastly entertained.
by marta wanot 10m
