In this scene the audience can feel sorry for Romeo as they know he doesn’t want to fight with Tybalt as they are now related “Tybalt, the reason that I love thee, Doth man excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting.” The audience can see that Romeo, by refusing to fight, is only succeeding in infuriating Tybalt even more. This would have the audience entranced in the increasing tension and suspense of the scene as they know that Romeo is only annoying Tybalt further.
When Tybalt enters, Mercutio (who is already angry because he has been arguing with Benvolio), instead of returning Tybalt’s initial niceties, spits it back in his face and tries to pick a fight instead “And but one word with us? Couple it with something; make it a word and a blow.” This riles Mercutio even more and angers Tybalt. Here Benvolio tries to calm down Tybalt and Mercutio but they are already preparing for a fight. When Romeo enters and refuses to fight Tybalt it angers Tybalt and Mercutio even further. “Oh calm dishonourable vile submission! ‘Alla stoccata’ carries it away, Tybalt you rat-catcher, will you walk?” The audience can see the rising tension here and know that a fight is inevitable, exciting them further.
In Act 3 Scene 1 Mercutio and Tybalt use lots of puns and taunts to anger and goad each other into a fight. While they are verbally sparring, the audience will be in high anticipation as a brawl is inevitable.
The stage directions in Act 3 Scene 1 are deliberately sparse as directors would want to stage the play differently depending on the theatre size and where the audience were seated. Shakespeare also realised that having lots of stage directions may have put off some theatres as they had very limited lighting, props and special effects. He may have also realised that although there was not much in the way of special effects in his time there may have been in years to come.
But the physical elements of the play were not as important as the dialogue and use of emphasis and expressions. An audience in Shakespeare’s time would have been just as used to watching the actors as they were to using their own imagination to enhance the performance.
Shakespeare also uses dramatic irony excellently to involve his spectators. The audience already know that Romeo is married to Juliet so that’s why he is reluctant to fight. But the other characters know nothing of this so it’s a big mystery why he isn’t jumping at the chance to quarrel with Tybalt.
Romeo cleverly uses his language to try to avoid telling the truth but also not to lie, so tells “half truths”. This is similar to Juliet’s word games when she is talking to her parents and trying to hide the reason why she doesn’t want to marry Paris “Not proud, you have; but thankful, that you have: Proud can I never be of what I hate; But thankful even for hate, that is meant love.”
This clever use of words is very humorous for the audience and is an easy way to keep them entertained. It keeps the audience watching as it is very interesting.
When Mercutio is slain by Tybalt it seems obvious that it’s Tybalt’s fault, but its’ not. All the characters are partially to blame for his death. Benvolio was arguing and winding Mercutio up before Tybalt entered. If he had not, and Mercutio had been level headed, he may have not started trying to fight and just told Tybalt to go away. Tybalt is the most obvious person to blame, but he was coaxed into the fight and didn’t even kill Mercutio purposely, in some ways he could be said to be the least to blame. Romeo is to blame as if he had just told the group that he was married to Juliet then he wouldn’t have annoyed Mercutio and Tybalt further. Mercutio is also to blame as he wanted to fight and angered Tybalt enough to brawl with him.
When Tybalt appears in the scene initially, Mercutio just wants to keep Romeo safe from Tybalt but as the piece goes on he develops his own agenda and instead of wanting to defend Romeo he wants to fight Tybalt for fun. His desire to defend Romeo ends up backfiring on himself and on Romeo because if he had just told Tybalt to go away he wouldn’t have been killed and Romeo wouldn’t have gone after Tybalt to avenge Mercutio and end up being banished.
When Mercutio is initially stabbed he dies off set but first staggers around pretending not to be hurt. He also uses puns and irony: “No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door; but 'tis enough, ‘twill serve: ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man” Because Mercutio is a very comical character, the audience and other characters don’t know if he is playing about or if he is actually hurt. By doing this the scene suddenly becomes much more exciting as the audience don’t know what’s going on and if their favourite comedian is ok.
It’s also very clever because before Mercutio starts letting on that he is actually hurt he calls his wound a scratch. This lulls the audience into a false sense of security and allows them to momentarily relax. This is a very clever twist as when it turns out Mercutio is actually badly hurt it is far more shocking and exciting to the audience.
When Tybalt dies, Romeo suddenly changes from a well mannered young man to a murderous psychopath. He suddenly becomes fixated on killing Tybalt and will not be persuaded otherwise.
At this point we quickly learn that he is very passionate but thinks with his heart rather than his head and is not in control of his emotions at all. At this point the audience can see the plot is spiralling out of control and knows that only tragedy can follow. They become far more involved in the play as the pace steps up in tempo.
Act 3 Scene 1 really splits the play in half. Before this Scene the only violence we have seen has been rivalry and abusive banter but now blood has been shed and the audience know it’s going to become much darker from now on. Before this turning point the play is just comedy and light hearted entertainment but now Romeo is a murderer and gets banished from the city.
Before this point Mercutio and the Nurse are the two comical characters but now Mercutio is dead and the Nurse is very affected by the events because Juliet is now very depressed and the Nurse doesn’t know how to comfort her. Romeo and Juliet can be seen as a play of two halves. The first is a light hearted comedy, but the other is a much darker more violent and the split is in Act 3 Scene 1 where Tybalt slays Mercutio.
Shakespeare, by placing conflict in the middle of his play, keeps the audience constantly entertained and the structure is one of the ingredients of the play that keeps it so successful and exciting.
Act 3 Scene 1 is the most exciting and pivotal scene because it is full of tension and exciting action but also tragedy and sadness.
The play is very enjoyable because it includes many different styles and themes but also some brilliant uses of language, many of which can be seen in Act 3 Scene 1, and also some very enjoyable characters who are full of life and many people can relate to one or more of them. All this means that it is as enjoyable to a modern audience as it was to an audience 400 years ago and will probably be just as enjoyable for years to come.
The overall message of the play is that true love can be found but conflict and violence will only lead to tragedy and pain for many people.
