Juliet is introduced somewhat later in Act 1 Scene 3, when Juliet’s mother is calling for her. Her mother does not know how old Juliet is exactly. Their Nurse is attempting to tell Juliet’s mother, as she has cared for Juliet since she was born. This shows how little Juliet’s mother knows of her.
The Scene
At the beginning of Act 3 Scene 1, Shakespeare creates a vivid image inside the reader’s mind to describe the hot, humid day (pathetic fallacy), and this sets the mood well and the reader senses something will happen; as tempers will be unsettled. A public place is used to set the scene, and this adds to the effect of the hot day, because the two feuding families (Montagues and Capulets) have a higher chance of meeting each other and brawl – which is foreshadowed by Benvolio at the start of the scene, “The day is hot, the Capels are abroad; and if we meet we shall not scape a brawl…”.
Act 3 Scene 1 changes the play from comedy to tragedy, due to the two families feuding and the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt. This has changed from the last scene (Act 2 Scene 6) because the scene before was more romantic – Romeo and Juliet secretly got married. In this scene, there is fighting and death – completely different. Act 3 Scene 1 links to previous events in the play, because the ruler of Verona, Prince Escalus, had warned the families to stop public brawling; otherwise he would punish them.
The dramatic irony in the play, when Romeo refuses to rise to Tybalt’s challenge, is that he is now related to Tybalt, and only Romeo and Juliet know (on-stage), as well as the audience. To refuse a challenge in Shakespearean times, the audience would see this as cowardly and feminine, and is seen as Romeo letting down his honour (which embarrasses Mercutio); whereas today’s audiences would agree with Romeo and that he did the right thing. Conflicts between Romeo and Mercutio with Tybalt make the audience feel sorry for Romeo because he didn’t really want to fight his new relation, so soon after marrying Juliet. Of course, when Mercutio dies, Romeo thinks otherwise and kills Tybalt. The audience then feels that Romeo has had his earned revenge.
The impact of Romeo’s entrance changes the scene a little, as Tybalt’s attention is towards Romeo, but Romeo ignores this, claiming his love for Tybalt and his family is equal that to his own. Mercutio’s death changes Romeo’s attitude entirely, and fights Tybalt – leading to Tybalt’s death. The use of Benvolio as a narrator during this scene makes it easier for the audience to understand what is going on. There are so many people on the stage towards the end of the scene, it confuses the audience, and his narration lets us know what’s going on.
The way the plot development in this scene is used to create suspense, most commonly the repetition of the phrase “a plague on both your houses” foreshadows the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and “…both your houses” is used to show both the Montague and Capulet families will suffer a bad event. After the phrase is repeated, this is when tragedy takes effect in the story. The Shakespearean audience would believe something really bad would occur, because in this age, people believed in curses – something that was caused by the reign of James I and his beliefs.
This scene is where comedy turns to tragedy and the play changes significantly. In this scene, two characters die (Mercutio and Tybalt) which is unheard of in the Shakespearean age. Act 3 Scene 1 is the turning point in the play because it is where the comedy theme of the play changes and becomes a tragedy, from the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt.
The Prince’s words at the end of each scene interest and involve members of the audience, because in the time the play was written, the most important person of the scene has the final word, and used rhyming couplets to show authority and that they are most important.
I think the scene is the most interesting in the play, because after the previous scenes with romance and comedy, it is good to bring a change in the characters and their behaviour. It shows how Romeo tried hard not to fight Tybalt, but ends up doing so in the end. It also shows where Shakespeare tried something new in killing two characters in one scene. Also, to compare how Shakespearean audiences would react differently to things than we do today.
