Examine the presentation of the main characters in Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet and consider the importance of this scene as a turning point of the play

Mercutio is Romeo's best friend and a very loud and flamboyant character, he spends a lot of time with Romeo and the Montague family but he is also accepted by the Capulet's. He was invited to the Capulet's ball and took Romeo and that's where he met Juliet for the first time. Baz Luhrman portrays him in the modern film of Romeo and Juliet as an eccentric, flashy character who loves being centre of attention. He sometimes a bit overconfident as is discovered when he is challenging Tybalt. Mercutio is noticeably different to many of the other characters as he is black and takes drugs, also some audiences perceive him as being homosexual.

In the Zefferelli version of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is a comic character, at the beginning of the scene he is shown mocking Juliet's nurse and when Tybalt arrives he makes fun of everything he says. He wears Livery similar to the Montague's but not the same, this again shows he is an outsider to the other characters as even though he is closer to the Montague's he still is acknowledged by the Capulet's. When Mercutio is injured, he denies the seriousness of his injury by saying "Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch" but later confirms the significance of the wound by saying "ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man". He then realises he will not live and shows his anger at the two houses by saying "A plague o' both your houses!"

Tybalt Capulet is Juliet's cousin and the Montague families arch enemy. He is never one to walk away from a fight even against his family's wishes. Unlike Mercutio he is a serious character and acts more maturely than some of the Montague characters. Baz Luhrmann portrays him as a smart, smooth character who knows that he can outclass his rivals. I think a reason he doesn't like Mercutio, apart from him being best friends with Romeo, is that he acts immaturely and turns everything, in this scene in particular, that Tybalt says into a joke. For example when Tybalt asks for "a word with one of you", Mercutio replies with "and but one word with one of us? Couple it with something; make it a word and a blow". This slightly annoys Tybalt as he feels Mercutio isn't taking him seriously.

Zefferelli shows Tybalt arriving in the scene later than Luhrmanns version, he wears striking orange and yellow livery. When the fight eventually breaks out between Tybalt and Mercutio after Romeo arrives, the public stand and watch encouraging the two men to carry on fighting. Mercutio tries to impress the crowd with is humour and wit whilst Tybalt impresses them with his sword fighting skills. In this version of Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt is not as confident as he tries his best to avoid fighting and he tries to walk away several times but Mercutio just follows him and provokes him into a confrontation.

Romeo does not appear in this scene until about half way through, he has just married Juliet and comes to celebrate the good news with his family and best friend Mercutio. His happiness is soon short lived as he arrives to find the two families about to fight each other. Tybalt almost immediately forgets about fighting Mercutio and begins to pursue Romeo who then tries to justify his love and marriage to Juliet. Mercutio then steps in to defend Romeo and he and Tybalt begin to fight. Romeo does not approve as much of violence as the other characters, he stands in-between Mercutio and Tybalt and tries to reason with them. They ignore his pleas and Tybalt catches Mercutio off guard and plunges his sword into him. Both Baz Luhrmann and Zefferelli show Romeo to be a young, naïve character who is easily led. He thinks he is doing the right thing by trying to intervene in the fight but he ends up causing Mercutio's accident. In the modern version, Romeo wears bright coloured shirts similar to Benvolio's to show he is part of the Montague family. Mercutio tells Tybalt that Romeo will never wear Capulet colours even though he is married to Juliet.

This scene in both versions of the play is a major turning point in the story. It is an action-packed scene and results in Tybalt and Mercutio being killed and Romeo being banished from Verona. This scene has a major impact on the play because it is the last fight between the 2 families and the police put an end to their feud. Baz Luhrmann sets this scene on a hot day at Venice Beach, there is an old stage in the centre of the beach that sets the stage for the fight. As the fight begins the weather begins to change and dark clouds cover the sky. More emotion is included in this version and music is played over the fight to dramatise the action. As the Capulet's arrive the beach quickly empties and all the shops and windows close as the public protect themselves.

Baz Luhrman's modern version of Romeo and Juliet is definitely my favourite as I think it is well directed and the film shows much more depth and emotion to the story than Zefferelli's version. Unlike the scene in the new version, the older one drags on a bit and the fight is more stylised than realistic. Baz Luhrmann makes the Shakespearian language easier to understand so the quality of the film can be appreciated much more than Zeferelli's.