Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo's hand did slay;
Romeo that spoke him fair, bade him bethink ...
(3.1.143-144)
Here, Benvolio seems to be defending Romeo "that spoke him fair". Later, however, Benvolio speaks of Tybalt more favourably:
... was stout Tybalt slain.
(3.1.164)
On this occasion, Benvolio seems to be attempting to present a fair view. However Benvolio is perhaps just trying to impress the Prince.
All in all, Benvolio fails rather miserably in his attempts to stop the other three young men from fighting. It is possible that a rather more forceful Benvolio might have been able to avert the catastrophe.
Mercutio, in complete contrast to Benvolio, is a very argumentative character. He does not want to be seen to be within the normal conventions of society. This is mirrored by the fact that, unlike the other characters who speak in blank verse, he usually speaks in prose:
Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as
any in Italy, and as soon moved to be moody, and as
soon moody to be moved.
(3.1.11-13)
Mercutio's use of prose shows that he does not like to be like others, and he has his own attitude.
This attitude is first shown at the beginning of the scene, when Mercutio refuses to leave the streets. Instead, he prefers to make fun of Benvolio:
... thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more,
or a hair less, in his beard, than thou hast
(3.1.16-17)
Although Mercutio claims that Benvolio is argumentative, he is really describing himself - he is the one who will start up a quarrel for the slightest reason. He is particularly looking for a quarrel with the Capulets.
When Tybalt of the Capulets arrives, with his friends, Mercutio is not worried :
By my heel, I care not.
(3.1.31)
As well as showing his cavalier attitude, the sentence also shows Mercutio's quick wit : Mercutio is mocking Benvolio's sentence "By my head, here come the Capulets." (3.1.30).
This habit of picking out words continues as Mercutio replies to Tybalt, for example in reply to Tybalt's "Mercutio, thou consort'st with Romeo" (3.1.39):
Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels?
(3.1.40)
Here, Mercutio deliberately takes the word "consort" to mean a musical player, rather than a friend.
When Mercutio's friend Benvolio in desperation tries to get the quarrelling pair of Mercutio and Tybalt off the streets, he meets with firm resistance from Mercutio:
I will not budge for no man's pleasure, I.
(3.1.48)
Mercutio is insistent that he does what he pleases.
Even when Romeo arrives, and Tybalt turns his attention to him, Mercutio cannot resist a parting pun on Tybalt's use of the word "man":
But I'll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery
(3.1.50)
On this occasion, Mercutio has interpreted the word "man" to mean "servant" and therefore an insult. He is again trying to provoke a fight.
When Romeo refuses to fight, Mercutio is shocked out of silence:
O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!
(3.1.66)
Mercutio is appalled by Romeo's apparent "dishonesty" : telling Tybalt, a Capulet, that he "loves" him and to "be satisfied".
Mercutio, however is certainly not satisfied, and now has a perfect excuse for a fight:
Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?
(3.1.68)
As well as challenging Tybalt, Mercutio is also insulting Tybalt, calling him a "rat-catcher".
Tybalt accepts the challenge, and they fight.
Mercutio ignores the desperate pleas of Romeo to stop fighting, and when Romeo steps between them, he is stabbed:
I am hurt.
A plague o' both your houses!
(3.1.83)
Mercutio has come to the conclusion that it is the feud of the families which has caused his demise. He prophetically curses Montague and Capulet.
But, even to the end, Mercutio's sense of humour lives on:
... ask for
me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man.
(3.1.89-90)
Mercutio, even on the point of death, can joke about it, using the double meaning of "grave".
Altogether, Mercutio is certainly a very provoking character and his intervention at crucial points certainly played a large part in causing the tragedy of the scene. He may blame the feud for causing his death, but a less flamboyant character would not have been in the same danger.
Tybalt is, like Mercutio, a very argumentative character. It is he who stirs up the fight in Act 1 Scene 1 between the servants. In contrast to Mercutio, however, Tybalt likes to fight very much by the rules and prides himself on the etiquette of fighting. To put it in Mercutio's words:
a villain, that fights by the book of arithmetic!
(3.1.92-93)
Mercutio is comparing Tybalt's fighting style to the strict rules of mathematics.
When Tybalt, searching for Romeo, bumps into Mercutio and Benvolio near the beginning of the scene, he largely ignores Mercutio's punning and provocation:
You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, and you
will give me occasion.
(3.1.36-37)
Although Tybalt would be quite willing to fight Mercutio with a reason, it is Romeo who he has a quarrel with, for coming to the Capulet party.
When Romeo does finally arrive, Tybalt can turn his attention and insults towards him:
Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford
No better term than this : thou art a villain.
(3.1.53-54)
Tybalt really does think that Romeo overstepped the mark by coming to the Capulet party.
To Tybalt's amazement, Romeo ignores his insults, even saying that he loves him "better than thou canst devise".
When Mercutio, as shocked as Tybalt, jumps in and asks him for a fight, Tybalt at first asks him for a reason.
What wouldst thou have with me?
(3.1.69)
Tybalt, though perfectly willing to fight Mercutio, who has been getting on his nerves by punning on all his words, wants an excuse to fight him.
It is not long however, before the pair are fighting, but the fatal stroke comes, perhaps by accident, from Tybalt when Romeo steps between them. It is not that clear whether Tybalt really meant to kill Mercutio. The thrust which killed Mercutio was probably a spur of the moment decision. Tybalt, in line with his normal character, did not think before he acted. Tybalt walks away, but Romeo does not let Mercutio's death go unavenged:
Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him
(3.1.120)
Romeo feels that justice must be done. And indeed, Tybalt falls under Romeo's sword.
Overall, Tybalt plays quite a major role in the catastrophe. He should really have ignored Mercutio's rather petty intervention in a quarrel which was not really his. If Tybalt perhaps had a little more self-control then the catastrophe may have been avoided.
Romeo is on a high at the beginning of the scene - he has just married Juliet and is blissfully unaware of Tybalt's challenge.
When Tybalt accosts him in the street, Romeo is so wrapped up in his own happiness that he is confused and worried. Instead of doing the sensible thing and asking Tybalt what he is talking about, he makes the rather stupid move of saying that he loves him:
I do protest, I never injured thee,
But love thee better than thou canst devise.
(3.1.62-63)
Romeo does not feel that he can fight Tybalt, as he is Juliet's cousin. It is this which causes him to make this "dishonourable submission" : not a very wise move when Mercutio is raring for an excuse for a fight.
Mercutio snatches up the opportunity, appalled at Romeo, but pleased to have an excuse to fight Tybalt. Romeo is horrified:
Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.
(3.1.76)
Romeo is trying to rectify what his answer to Tybalt has caused. But his attempts are to no avail and Mercutio and Tybalt start fighting.
In desperation, Romeo dives between the fighting pair:
Hold, Tybalt! good Mercutio!
(3.1.82)
But Romeo's good intentions turn to disaster when Mercutio is stabbed under his arm. Mercutio. fatally wounded, questions Romeo as to why he jumped between them.
Miserably Romeo replies:
I thought all for the best
(3.1.95)
Upon hearing of Mercutio's death, Romeo changes his mind. He decides that the fact that his friend lies dead is more important than the fact that Tybalt is related to his precious wife Juliet. Mercutio died honourably defending himself. Romeo feels he must not let Tybalt live:
Again, in triumph, and Mercutio slain!
(3.1.113)
As the two men fight, it is perhaps "this day's black fate" that makes Tybalt fall. As he falls, the realisation of what has happened finally dawns on Romeo:
O, I am fortune's fool!
(3.1.127)
Romeo wants to blame fortune for the two deaths that have just occurred, rather than to think about what he could have done to stop them occurring. The way in which the play is written perhaps makes us more sympathetic towards Romeo, because we know that he has just married Juliet, whilst the characters on stage do not.
Romeo could have acted in a more sensible way to Tybalt's challenge, instead of coming out with the words which provoked Mercutio into violence. His intervention between Mercutio and Tybalt may have caused his friend's death. His attempts to remain loyal to both his friends and his wife Juliet, were doomed to failure.
As I have tried to show by looking at each character in turn, they all had their parts to play in causing the tragedy. It was not, however, one of them individually who caused the catastrophe. Was it perhaps the conflicts between the various attitudes and personalities that was to blame?
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Act 3 Scene 1 is called the ‘pivotal scene’ because it is the scene in which Romeo changes dramatically from love to hate. It is instantaneous like switching a light bulb on, a switch in Romeo’s head is flicked and he turns into a different Romeo to the one that we see at the beginning of the play.
In Act 3 Scene 1, the theme changes from love, life and freedom to hate, death and solitary confinement. There are a lot of high points in this scene and it is full of dramatic events. At the end of Act 3, Lady Capulet tells Juliet that she must marry Paris but Juliet refuses to do so (because she is already married to Romeo) and Capulet is outraged. We see a different side to Capulet as well because at the start of the play, he didn’t throw Romeo out of the party and was very calm about the whole thing but when Juliet refuses to marry Paris he threatens to disown her and have nothing to do with her ever again.
“...I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.” Tybalt’s phrase, “... and talk of peace! I hate the word,” show his outright ruthlessness.
