I think that from reading the play that this is the turning point of the play as it changes Juliet’s and Romeo’s future forever they are never to meet again and for what reason and silly family Feud. The audience has scene how Shakespeare has made Romeo in to such a calm and romantic character that they do not expect what is about to happen. Shakespeare in this scene shows the audience a side of Romeo they have never seen before and would never have expected to see. He is filled with such anger and hatred towards Tybalt that in a split second of erratic behaviour he loses his peace of mind and kills Tybalt, the dear and beloved cousin of his wife.
At the opening scene of the play we are shown how miserable Romeo is about his love Rosaline and now Shakespeare turn this misery into genuine despair as he contemplates life without Juliet. At this point Romeo suffers from uncontrollable grief before the Friar and draws a dagger to his head. Romeo blames himself for Mercutios death as it was but between himself and Juliet and Mercutio managed to get involved in the fight and mistakably was killed. Romeo feels that it should have been his life that was taken and not the life of his dearest friend Mercutio.
Mercutio is a loved character within the play Shakespeare does this by making him the joker and funny man within the story always good fun to be with and up for a laugh. Because of the audiences like for Mercutio in the play it is more upsetting and shocking to find him dying from a stab wound. And even more so dramatic when he utters the words “A plague on both your houses.” During the beginning of the scene Mercutio is mocking and making a joke out of Tybalt. “Here’s my fiddlestick, here’s that shall make you dance.” This angers Tybalt and he asks Mercutio to fight him. Mercutio refuses as if it a regular occurrence among the two families “just one of nine lives.” Tybalt is already a fiery and bad tempered character and this scene brings out the worst in him, he’s furious with rage at Mercutio and when Romeo turns up and tries to make peace it just infuriates him more.
The Prince enters the scene right at the end and he is plainly angered by the families’ feud and yet lacks the strength to reconcile their differences. He is solemn that he couldn’t do anything to prevent these to innocent deaths. He blames the men of the households for not sorting out their difference and does not feel pity on them as they only have themselves to blame for this tragic incident.
“Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio who now the price of his dear blood doth owe?”
In this scene Shakespeare uses his skills well to show a different side of Romeo that we would never have expected to have seen it keeps the audience in suspense and occupied. What fate will come to Romeo and Juliet his love will they find each other or will it all end in tragedy?
