How does Shakespeare create tension and drama for an audience in act III scene I of Romeo and Juliet?

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Harry Chamberlain                English Coursework

How does Shakespeare create tension and drama for an audience in act III scene I of Romeo and Juliet?

The play Romeo and Juliet Act III Scene I is made very exciting and dramatic by the writer, William Shakespeare. He uses dramatic devices to create suspense within the audience, such as the foreshadowing of events near the beginning of the play. On top of this he uses puns and dramatic irony to add to the effect. At the start of the play Tybalt is known to be a violent character, while Mercutio is the witty joker. He did not predict that the seriousness of Tybalt's actions would eventually lead to his own death. the point at which the drama in the scene peaks is the death of Mercutio, and this could even be the turning point in the play, as from here on in Romeo is "fortune's fool". the 6 main points that Shakespeare are action, as there is much fighting and conflict in the scene; plot twists as there are unexpected deaths; the use of dramatic language and tone; character development; audience reaction and the writers intentions. All of these points display how the scene is dramatic and exciting for the audience.

The main theme behind this scene, and the whole play, is conflict. An ancient feud between two houses that no longer has real meaning. There is also a conflict between love and hate. Romeo now has love for Capulets, as he has married one, and he wishes not to fight with Juliet’s family. On the other hand Tybalt has no knowledge of this marriage and there fore still hates and wishes to kill Romeo. We know that there is much action in the scene, as it opens with an argument between Mercutio and Benvolio, where Benvolio is trying to persuade Mercutio to leave the area with him, "I pray thee, good Mercutio, lets retire; the day is hot". Mercutio does not want to do this as he is not bothered by what Benvolio has to say.  This makes the audience feel that something bad is going to happen and adds to the drama, as Mercutio is not listening to what Benvolio is saying and Benvolio is the sensible character in the play, and is also the "voice of reason". The entry of Tybalt into the scene is swift and sudden. We can see as Benvolio seems surprised to say "by my head, here come the Capulets", this shows he is not expecting them and therefore makes it more exciting for the audience. Mercutio and Tybalt swiftly move into a verbal battle, and within minutes they are engaged in contact which keeps the swift movement of the scene going. The accidental death of Mercutio shocks Romeo who has entered the scene amidst the argument, and after his death he cries with rage "And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!" this displays his burning passion to kill Tybalt, whom he had just been declaring his love for.

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The writer, William Shakespeare, uses this scene for many plot twists that are unexpected by the audience. To start of with, there are the two extremely tragic deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt. This is an unexpected twist as no-one expected there to be such drama so soon after the happiest scene in the whole play, the wedding scene. By placing these two scenes right next to each other, Shakespeare makes the deaths seem so much more tragic as they are contrasting the joyous scene that precedes it. After the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio, the Prince exiles Romeo, which is ...

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