Other aspects of the scene also make it extremely apprehensive and tense and one of these things is the personality of the characters itself that cause this. Mercutio, Tybalt and Romeo- the three main characters of the scene are involved in an action-packed scene which enthrals the theatregoers by having two immense fight scenes follow each other straight away. Mercutio is portrayed by Shakespeare as being the provoker and the origin of the scene as he enrages Tybalt which leads to the first fight and, thereafter the second fight. His death is seen as a tragedy within a tragedy. Tybalt, who is completely different to Mercutio, is shown as the stirrer and the character most involved with the action. He is also a part of the tragedy within a tragedy scenario as he also gives his life in the play. Romeo; the ‘star’ of the show, changes his personality half way through the scene. At first he seems very loving towards Tybalt- “But love thee better than thou canst devise,” however by the end of the scene he is put on trial for slaying Tybalt- “Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live.” From affection to ‘newly entertain’d revenge’- all in one scene. This to the audience draws more suspense as we are unsure of what will happen to Romeo and Juliet’s story and also we don’t yet know how worse it could get. Characters changing all the time makes the scene the most exciting and dramatic scene in the whole show.
Shakespeare uses a lot of dramatic devices within the tale and most of them appear in act 3, scene 1. One of these dramatic devices is the clever use of dramatic irony which is present at the start of the scene when the audience have been shown the marriage vows between Romeo and Juliet but the characters such as Tybalt are unaware of this and therefore cannot understand why Romeo has much love for him even though he is a Capulet. Also since we are aware of the love between the ‘loins of these two foes’ we are scared about what may happen to them now that Romeo has been banished and Juliet’s own cousin has been murdered by her love. The suspense that builds up during the scene makes it more and more enthralling for the audience. An art of theatre was the ability to move characters on and off stage many times causing nervousness and anticipation as to what might happen next. After every conversation a character either exits or enters which entertains the audience more as there is a different atmosphere created by each person’s entrance and exit. The drama sensed by Shakespeare whilst writing this play most have been immense as if he was watching this performance live. It would have been nerve-racking and people would be on the edge of their seats whilst the actors where performing this scene. Another device Shakespeare uses for the duration of this scene is the movement of the stage and location. After every small scene there is a change of scene- at the start it was set around the town square and throughout the scene it moved all around the town; through the streets and alleys, until they were all gathered at the town square again when the prince gave his verdict. The devices used by Shakespeare are truly magnificent and make the scene very dramatic for the viewer.
Shakespeare- the most famous writer in English used language to his advantage when writing the script for this scene. The themes are portrayed through to the audience by the language used and also it makes it more interesting for the spectators. “Zounds, consort!” shows the theme of anger and hatred as he tells Tybalt how he feels for him. The anger and hatred is really brought out by that phrase as ‘Zounds’ means real detestation and ‘consort’ meaning partner refers to Tybalt. Other phrases like “and so, good Capulet, --which name I tender as dearly as my own” shows how much he cares about the Capulet’s now that he has married one and that he has no part to play in the feud going on between Montague’s and Capulet’s. However the theme changes from affection to hatred again when Romeo says “And in my temper soften’d valour’s steel!” portraying to the audience how much Juliet has made an impact on him and that she changed him so much that he couldn’t stop his friend for dyeing and is therefore going to change back to how he was before go fight Tybalt. Leaving the audience anxious and petrified to find out what may happen to Juliet and how she will act towards Romeo knowing that Romeo is not the person that she married. There are also parts in the scene where there is a lesson to learn. “O, I am fortune’s fool!” this phrase teaches us that we are not always in control of our lives and therefore we should try and do the right thing and not regret later when it is too late. Shakespeare has intertwined themes of love, hatred, revenge, anguish with teaching for the people of the time to learn in this one scene.
In conclusion, thus scene is the most epic and crucial scene to make the whole story fit together. The devices used by Shakespeare and the different actions that are involved make it seem very real and life like and the audience are gripped by the action that is preformed before them. Also the theme play an important part as they contrast and supplement the scenario perfectly and make the play a whole lot more interesting- making it the best love story ever told.
