To further build tension towards Act 3 Scene 1, Shakespeare has Tybalt see Romeo at the Capulet party and tell his Uncle Romeo is a villain- an offensive insult at the time. However, when he asks his uncle if he can confront him his uncle becomes furious at Tybalt and calls him a “saucy boy”. Although the audience sees Tybalt as being evil, as is further portrayed in the Baz Luhrmann interpretation of the play (where Tybalt is wearing devil horns), he is actually doing the thing he has been told to do all his life- hate Montagues. Being told otherwise would’ve been very confusing for Tybalt and made him hate Romeo even more. His Uncle also seems to favour Romeo to Tybalt, there is contrast between the words he uses to describe Romeo and how he describes Tybalt. He calls Tybalt a “saucy boy” and praises Romeo, saying “Verona brags of him” and that he is “a virtuous and well-governed youth”.
Tension is introduced into Act 3 Scene 1 in the first line “I pray thee Mercutio, let’s retire: the day is hot, the Capels are abroad and if we meet we shall not scape a brawl, for now, these how days, is the mad blood stirring” Benvolio is acting as a narrator and telling Mercutio to go back inside with him, so as to escape a fight, he is acting exactly as his name suggests- it means ‘I mean well’ This is a good description of Benvolio because he tries to keep the peace but fails, In Act 1 Scene 1 he draws his sword, and he fails now. The description of the day being hot works in two ways, it is pathetic fallacy used to show that people will be angry, heat is usually associated with anger, and also to set the scene for the audience. In Elizabethan times there were no special effects and the stages were quite basic, so Shakespeare had to use speech to communicate the setting. Benvolio is also showing he is eager to escape a fight with the Capulets.
Mercutio is in a bad mood because it is hot and also because Romeo deserted them after the Capulet party. The act of bringing Romeo to the ball also showed that Mercutio didn’t take the feud seriously, and ironically his jovial attitude kills him- if he hadn’t taken Romeo to the ball then Tybalt wouldn’t have challenged Romeo and Tybalt wouldn’t have killed him- another example of fate. We also know from earlier on in the play that Mercutio is prone to mood swings; his name is similar to the word ‘Mercurial’ meaning volatile, just like his personality. Throughout the play Mercutio has been the joker of the play and he is often using puns and being outrageous. It is clear from the start of the scene that Mercutio is not in a good state of mind. He usually speaks in blank verse (using iambic pentameter) like a high status character, but at the beginning of Act 3 Scene 1 he is speaking in prose. Shakespeare has done this to show that Mercutio is in a foul mood and slightly crazed. After Benvolio suggests leaving, Mercutio becomes angry at him and starts ranting about how Benvolio is quarrelsome, using the pun “Thou wilst quarrel…for cracking nuts…because thou hast hazel eyes” Hazel is an eye color and variety of nut, so it creates the impression of eyes being cracked.
When Tybalt arrives, Shakespeare presents him as being very respectful towards Mercutio and Benvolio; he speaks to Mercutio very politely, calling him a gentleman. Mercutio instigated the violence by saying “make it a word and a blow” he means blow as in a punch or a strike from a sword. But when Tybalt retaliates by saying “thou consortest with Romeo” Mercutio gets extremely angry because to be called a minstrel implied that one was a low status person like a musician, begging for money, and it also seems to suggest that Mercutio had a homosexual relationship with Romeo. Mercutio then starts using an extended metaphor about music. “Here’s my fiddlestick” is a pun, meaning sword and penis- more comedy. However, when Romeo arrives Tybalt says “Peace be with you, sir, here comes my man”, this shows just how courteous Tybalt is being to Mercutio as earlier in the play Tybalt said “Peace! I hate the word”. The word hate here is part of one the play’s key themes of love versus hate.
Tybalt’s opening words to Romeo contrast greatly to his opening words to Mercutio, he says “Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain”. This is the beginning of Shakespeare’s contrasting use of the word love by Romeo and Tybalt throughout Act 3 Scene 1. The use of the word villain would be very significant and mean that Romeo would be expected to accept the challenge. However, Romeo acts very strangely and says that he loves Tybalt, “the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting…farewell, I see thou knowest me not”, “good Capulet, which name I tender as dearly as my own, be satisfied” Romeo and Tybalt’s words are very contrasting, Romeo says “love, tender and dearly” while Tybalt says “villain, injuries and boy”. It is possible Tybalt uses the word boy because his Uncle called him a “saucy boy” and he was still hurt by it. Shakespeare is using dramatic irony here because the audience knows that Romeo has married Juliet, so Tybalt is family, but only Romeo, Juliet, the Nurse and the Friar know.
After Romeo refuses the challenge Mercutio is appalled, he says “O dishonourable, vile submission” ‘Vile’ is a very emotive word so Shakespeare uses it to show the strength of Mercutio’s reaction, Elizabethan audiences would’ve been shocked because at the time it would’ve been very dishonourable to refuse a challenge. Mercutio challenges Tybalt to save Romeo embarrassment and starts an extended metaphor, calling Tybalt is a cat; (Tybs was a very common name for cats at the time). Mercutio starts speaking in blank verse again, showing he is now serious. He says “Tybalt, you rat-catcher” and “Good King of Cats”, this provokes Tybalt, who is hesitant to fight, and Tybalt defeats him under the arm of Romeo, who was trying to protect Mercutio. Mercutio is still joking even close to death; he carries on the cat metaphor, saying “Ay, a scratch”. He continues to pun, saying “ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man” meaning unhappy, and dead in his grave. However, he is deadly serious when he says “a plague a’both your houses” three times. In Elizabethan times, saying something thrice was considered a hex. This further continues the play’s theme of fate, and it is possible Mercutio was referring to Romeo’s obsession with fate and superstition.
After Mercutio’s death, Romeo’s character changes drastically, he becomes enraged “Juliet, they beauty hath made me effeminate, and in my temper softened valour’s steel” and he further blames fate for his actions and predicts tragedy “this day’s black fate on moe days doth depend, this but begins the woes others must end” he then says “fire-eyed fury be my conduct now” showing he is furious and wants revenge on Tybalt. The words he uses contrast greatly with what he says earlier in the scene, where he was using words like “love, tender and dearly”, now he is saying “black fate, woes and fury”. Romeo challenges Tybalt and says “Either thou or I, or both, must go with him” meaning that one or both of them must die and join Mercutio in heaven. Tybalt blames Romeo for his death and shows that it wasn’t intended “wretched boy, that didst consort him here, shalt with him hence” He slays Tybalt and again blames it on fate “O, I am fortunes fool”.
When the Prince finds out, he doesn’t know what to do because he said in Act 1 Scene 1 that if the two families “ever disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace”. The Prince, however, is related to Mercutio and believes that Romeo’s actions “concludes what the law should end, the life of Tybalt”. The Capulets are outraged and Lady Capulet acts out of character for a woman, by demanding that the Prince “must give” justice. The Prince compromises and banishes Romeo to Mantua, which creates many problems: Romeo not being able to consummate his marriage, Juliet’s proposed marriage to Paris and the Friar having to create his flawed plan to get Juliet to Mantua, resulting in Romeo and Juliet’s deaths.
Act 3 Scene 1 is turning point for the play because Mercutio and Tybalt are dead; therefore there is no more humour in the play as it had all been provided by Mercutio. Romeo changes from a seemingly weak petrarchian lover to an angry murderer, (Interestingly, modern interpretations of the play leave out Romeo’s murder of Paris because they want to preserve Romeo’s image as the ‘good guy’). Benvolio has failed to keep the peace again, the Nurse and Friar are in deep trouble with regards to the marriage and plans are set in place which leads to the demise of Romeo and Juliet. Fate, as Romeo would believe.
Shakespeare presents many moral messages in Romeo and Juliet, the contrast of Love and Hate, men lusting and not loving. He questions male values and codes of honour, Act 3 Scene 1’s fights over honour cause two deaths and cause most of the trouble which leads to the death of Romeo and Juliet. But most of all, he shows that love always conquers hate. Although there are many tragedies along the way, Romeo and Juliet’s love buries the hate of their warring families.