Shakespeare wants the audience to like Mercutio but also be confused about him in the back of your mind. He wants us to like Mercutio so we are upset when he dies but then he may be trying to change us by making Mercutio say some horrible things to Benvolio and Romeo before he dies he says ‘A plague o’both your houses,’ this is a very serious thing to say to some one because in the time when it is set the plague is at large and many people will have had some one in there family or someone who lives in their street die from it.
At the beginning of the scene Shakespeare creates a sense of danger by making Benvolio say ‘For now these hot days is the ma blood stirring’ this is ambiguous because it means two things one of these things is the weather he is telling the that it is a hot day. The other thing is he is trying to suggest that the tension between the two families is very high.
Also at the beginning of this scene the dialogue between Benvolio and Mercutio shows that Mercutio is looking for trouble he is constantly teasing Benvolio, by saying that he doesn’t care that the Capulets are about. After Benvolio warns him about the Capulets being near Mercutio says ‘By my heel, I care not.’ This is showing blatant disrespect towards the Capulets and he is showing that the Capulets do not bother him and he is not scared of them.
Shakespeare entertains the audience by making the conversation quite humours it is shown when Mercutio says ‘com 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.’ This is showing Mercutio winding up Benvolio and trying to tease and make the mood light. Shakespeare does this so when Tybalt arrives it will be more of a shock to the audience when they start to fight and it will make it more dramatic. Shakespeare uses these two in the conversation to create tension he does this by making Benvolio say ‘I pray thee, good Mercutio let’s retire;’ This is showing Benvolio is uneasy and that he is worried about the Capulets and that he believes they should leave. This hints to the audience that something is going to happen.
Also Shakespeare entertains the audience by making Mercutio use puns and riddles to confuse the audience he does this to keep the audience on there toes. He uses a riddle when he says ‘Thy head is as full of quarrels as and egg is full of meat,’ He is doing this because it will confuse the audience and make them think and want to hear more. It will also make them try and work out what he means.
Shakespeare makes Mercutio annoy Tybalt by using many sarcastic comments. Such as ‘couple it with something, make it a word and a blow.’ He uses this to torment Tybalt because he knows he has a fiery temper. This also makes it more dramatic because we know Tybalt has a fiery temper and that he is a much better swordsman than Mercutio. This also makes us laugh because we think of Tybalt as the villain so we find it amusing that Mercutio is irritating him.
Shakespeare make Mercutio annoy Tybalt to increase the tension. Before Tybalt speaks to Mercutio Benvolio says ‘by my head, here come the capulets.’ Mercutio replies ‘By my heel, I care not.’ This is showing Mercutio’s disrespect to the Capulets and that he is not bothered about them being there. This increases the tension by exciting the audience and showing them that Mercutio has the upper hand.
Shakespeare then keeps the tension up by making Tybalt say ‘Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo.’ Mercutio deliberately misunderstands this and says in return ‘Consort? What dost thou make us minstrels?’ He then carries it on and says ‘Here’s my fiddlestick, here’s that shall make you dance.’ He has deliberately misinterpreted Tybalt to make Tybalt look stupid and try and get him to fight. This raises the tension because we are used to Tybalt being violent and having a short temper so we know he could snap at any moment.
The audience will be confused by Tybalt’s reaction towards Mercutio. When Tybalt enters he says ‘good e’en a word with one of you.’ This is unusual for Tybalt because normally he is quite disrespectful towards Mercutio and the other characters. So the audience will be quite shocked by this because it is unusual for Tybalt to be gentlemanly towards his fellow characters.
Later in this scene Mercutio is trying to irritate Tybalt and make him fight. Tybalt stays in complete control and does not lose his temper. As Romeo arrives he has still not lost his temper, he then says ‘Well, peace be with you, sir.’ This is showing he is still trying to be respectful towards Mercutio and is still in a good frame of mind as he goes to talk to Romeo. While the audience are watching Tybalt insult Romeo Shakespeare will want the audience to be wondering why Romeo won’t tell Tybalt why he will not fight him. ‘Till thou shalt know the reason of my love.’ This is making Tybalt angrier because he is getting confused. So the audience will now be wondering whether Romeo will be dragged into a fight.
At the same time the audience mite be thinking Romeo is going to tell Tybalt why he will not fight him, doing this may stop Tybalt from getting angry and eventually fighting from Mercutio.
Shakespeare adds to the drama and tension by making the audience know things the characters don’t. Also this fight is between an unpopular character Tybalt and a popular character Mercutio, this is crucial because the audience know Mercutio is up against a much better swordsman and they know he is in a lot of danger.
Also the audience and the characters both know that the Prince has warned them and will not tolerate any fighting and if there is any there will be serious punishments.
Another telling factor is Romeo’s choice not to tell Tybalt or Mercutio about him being married to Juliet. So the audience will see Tybalt and Mercutio have been misled and that they do not see the full story. If they knew the full story they may have reacted differently and not have fought.
The audience will react badly to the way Mercutio was killed. They will be upset that he has died but they will also be confused about the things Mercutio has said. The audience will be in horror when Mercutio is stabbed because he is a very exciting and funny character.
The audience will also act negatively to the things that Mercutio has said. Mercutio places a curse on both Montague and Capulet houses. ‘A plague o’both your houses.’ This is taken very seriously because they all new about the plague and how serious it was. While Mercutio was dying he still managed to make the audience laugh by using puns. ‘you shall find me a grave man.’ This will bewilder the audience because he is saying he is going to die but is making it a funny comment.
When Mercutio places a curse on the Capulet and Montague households, we soon realise there is dramatic irony involved. Later in the play Romeo and Juliet are killed this is joined to the curse because they are the last in the line of the two families. Both of them are only children so once they are both dead the reigns of the families will end.
The audience will be shocked by the way Tybalt has tried to kill Mercutio. They will be disgusted at Tybalt for being so underhanded and conniving.
As Tybalt fights Romeo the audience will be fully behind Romeo because of Tybalt’s previous encounters. So this will draw the audience in because they have a favourite for this fight they will watch the fight closely to make sure they see Romeo win.
Shakespeare uses Benvolio to give an account because it tells the audience what happened encase they missed any of the fight and the parts leading up to the fight. Also Benvolio is known for being a peacemaker and a nice person so we expect him to tell the truth. Also the audience and the characters respect his judgement. As Benvolio starts tell the tale of how the two characters were killed, we see that he is not telling the truth we see this when the Prince asks him who started the fight Benvolio says ‘Tybalt,’ we know this is a lie because we have seen Mercutio tormenting Tybalt and try to start a fight. Tybalt did not react but when Romeo refused Mercutio challenged Tybalt and they fought, so the audience will be shocked that Benvolio has lied, but they will also respect him for trying to protect his friend.
As the scene closes Shakespeare wants the audience to be thinking about Mercutio and Tybalt and how they both died. Also Shakespeare wants the audience to be wondering whether Romeo will be caught for his crime regarding Tybalt, also if he does get caught whether or how he will be punished. Also he wants us to be remembering Mercutio and be trying to decide our feelings about Tybalt.
As we begin the next scene the audience will be wondering what will happen to Romeo and whether he will be killed if he is found. We will also be wondering what will happen between Romeo and Juliet and whether there relationship will be able to make it through this tragedy.
