“Romeo and Juliet” are set with bad luck from the very start, when they first meet they fall in love almost immediately but Juliet is pulled away by her mother and nurse who absolutely prohibit Juliet from seeing Romeo. ‘My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy’ this show that Juliet has fallen in love immediately with Romeo, and she knows it is wrong to be in love with him as he is a sworn family enemy. We can also see that Romeo is very distraught about her leaving and how they are not allowed to be together, ‘can I go forward when my heart is here? Turn back, dull earth, and find thy centre out’ this shows that Romeo feels the same this shows bad luck for them, but also shows how they have fallen for each other so quickly.
Bad luck is also shown in act 3 scene 1 when Mercutio is killed under Romeos arm, ‘ this days black fate on mo days doth depend; this but begins the woe others must end’ this shows that Romeo feels strongly about fate and bad luck and knows he has been struck with a lot of bad luck. Bad luck is also shown in this scene when Mercutio curses the houses of both families as he dies; ‘help me into some house, Benvolio, or I shall faint. A plague o’both your houses! They have made worms meat of me: I have it and soundly too. This shows that fate is popular and important at this time, it shows that Mercutio knows he’s dying and can see that two families should be fighting like this so curses both households to make them realise.
Shakespeare did this to create the idea of fate and how easy fate can be believed. And how bad luck leads deeper and deeper which is shown more in this scene by the two deaths and the curse.
Shakespeare has put these two fights in the play to give more tension and show fate by the amount of bad luck in this scene, he also wants to create a moral to this scene and play to show that people arguing and fighting can lead to deaths and bad luck.
Shakespeare establishes the atmosphere in this scene by both fights involving Tybalt which we have been shown to be a evil person who enjoys violence, pain on others and watching and being involved in fights, ‘drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, al Montague’s and thee.’ We are introduced to this evil character straight after we are introduced to Benvolio a calm, peaceful character so there is a big contrast; Shakespeare wants this contrast between characters, Tybalts violent nature is emphasised by both references to hell (a stronger idea in these religious times) and by use of triple structure, ‘hating’ ‘hell’ the ‘Montague’s’ and ‘thee’. So when the two fights happen we expect Mercutio and Romeo to come up the worse, especially when he has killed Mercutio and Romeo has to fight him, the tension builds up because Romeo is always trying to stop fights and you can’t picture Romeo winning a fight quite yet.
Shakespeare throughout the play shows the hatred between the two families so when the swordfights start we think its natural and the characters are just behaving naturally its only when the deaths arrive that the audience are engaged.
Shakespeare creates an atmosphere so that it seems almost natural for the swordfight to happen and the audience can feel a sense of bad luck appearing in this scene. And it is a very hot day which could also cause fights due to uncomforted of the heat causing people to feel animosity.
Shakespeare uses puns;
Shakespeare uses insults; ‘villain’
Shakespeare uses dramatic irony;
Romeos action ends him with banishment these are due to unlucky or unfortunate actions. ‘this shall determine that’ this provokes Tybalt after just killing Mercutio his adrenaline is rushing and Romeo said the wrong words because he was upset and angry of the death of his friend.
Mercutio doesn’t help himself either by being provoked by Tybalt and not walking away; ‘Tybalt you rat-catcher will you walk?’ this shows the Mercutio will not walk away and is ready for a fight.
Tybalt is forever provoking people into fights and is very much like Mercutio will not walk away and in denial that he may get beaten; ’I am for you!’ this shows he feels he cannot get beaten but wants to make Mercutio think he can beat him and Mercutio and him being so alike Mercutio does not back down either.
I feel the two death and Romeos banishment were caused by bad luck due to people being to competitive and not backing down.
Romeos banishment was completely bad luck due to Mercutio not backing down and being killed which made Romeo upset and angry which resulted to Tybalts death all of this is bad luck.
