Discuss and Evaluate the Importance of the fight scene in

Authors Avatar

GSCE English/English Literature Assignment:

Discuss and Evaluate the Importance of the fight scene in “Romeo and Juliet”

1\Introduction

        The fight scene in “Romeo and Juliet” is a very important set piece. This scene is very much used be William Shakespeare” as a way to connect to the reader viewing it. He tries to allow the reader to have mixed emotions. Some of the emotions the fight set piece is trying to display are Hate, Horror, Excitement, fear and tension. The reason why the reader feels these emotions are because there are many points in the fight scenes where the main character could have and almost does get killed.

        The context of this set piece is very much heading towards the dramatic time in which “William Shakespeare” wrote “Romeo and Juliet” (1595). This is because the why that all the characters would carry swords around with them and it was seen as the norm. There are many things that make us accept this. One is the way that Mercutio calls his sword a “Fiddlestick”.

        The main reasons which make us anticipate the fight between Tybalt and Romeo; one thing is that Mercutio shouts before he dies:

A plague on both your houses.

Three times and this really changes the mood of the scene. Also Tybalt returns and taunts Romeo about Mercutio’s death.

2\“William Shakespeare” sets this scene at the beginning to really make the reader sense that there is going to be s fight of some sort between the Montague and Capulet. He does this by having the characters saying things like:

And if we meet, we shall not ‘scape a brawl

For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring

This concludes to us that Benvolio is anticipating a fight. But Mercutio seems to ignore this with witty puns and play on words.   

Thou! Why,

Thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more

Or a hair less in his beard than thou hast

        And this means that Mercutio is saying to Benvolio that, he will fight with anything or anyone about anything. By this time the reader is sure about the fight, because Romeo has just got married to Juliet and is yet to tell Tybalt.

3\The two characters Mercutio and Tybalt have very different personalities and also act in very different ways.

The two are very good swordsmen and are considered Duellists.

One the one hand Mercutio is a witty person who puns a lot and the people around him enjoy his company but may not understand what he is feeling. Mercutio is one of the most unique characters in Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet". His language is always powerful and imaginative. He represents many different things in the story and holds an important role. Where as Tybalt, will find it a rare occasion that he tells a witty joke of any sort and often seems very serious. His appearance also seems to show off a strong and bigger body that Mercutios’. He is also a very willing duellist. Yet before their all important fight scene they act different to each other yet stereotypical of their personalities. First of all when Tybalt arrives on the scene he acts like he just wants to lash out on someone and as Mercutio is the there he start to pick on him.

Join now!

 On reason for this would be that the name Mercutio comes from the word Mercury. So this could mean that Mercutio has a temper that rises quickly, just like Mercury rises when it is hot and it just so happens to be very hot that day.

But before Tybalt approaches Mercutio and Benvolio, Benvolio notices them coming and says to Mercutio and tells him that they should leave. But Mercutio simply responds by saying:

By my heel, I care not

        But when Tybalt comes over Mercutio still seems not to care. Even when Tybalt is over ...

This is a preview of the whole essay