This verse is the best clue that the two lovers are going to die. Their death would end the civil war between the two families and would ‘bury their parents strife’.
The final bit of the prologue (lines 9-12) tells us that all this drama will be shown in the next two hours and if they do not enjoy some of the areas of the play, they will improve it in future plays.
This scene is important as it tells the audience how strong the feud is between the two noble families. The scene is open up by two servants of Capulet wandering around the streets of Verona. The two servants were arguing amongst themselves saying that one is braver than the other. Gregory called Sampson a coward and Sampson was not very happy which I thought was the catalyst for the trouble when the servants of Montague entered. The trouble started when Sampson said that he will bite his thumb at the Montague servant which is a really bad insult in those times.
‘Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb …
if they bare it.’
Though as they were servants, they were cowards and none of them wanted a fight. The mood changed when Benvolio and Tybalt entered. Benvolio tried to stop the feud by calling the servants ‘fools’ but Tybalt were disturbed by his words and tried to pick a fight on Benvolio by saying:
‘What! Drawn and talk of peace
…Have at thee, coward!’
These words show that Tybalt is short tempered person. I think it also shows the audience that he is a trouble maker by saying he does not like ‘cowards’.
Capulet and Lady Capulet entered and both sense trouble, Capulet drew out his long sword for defence. As soon as Montague entered he quickly insulted Capulet by saying:
‘Thou villain Capulet! Hold me not; let me go’
This quick attack tells the audience that the two noble families were against each other for quite some time. From the servants to the lord, from the young to the old, this strong opening to the play clearly shows that the two families did not like each other.
As soon as the Prince entered the fighting stopped which gives the audience a slight hint to the audience that he controls law and order. The prince warns both the Capulets and the Montagues that if they do not put down there weapon, he would torture both families as they are disturbing the people of Verona.
‘Throw your mistemper’d weapons to the ground,
And hear the sentence of your moved prince.’.
Act 3 Scene 1 is another violent scene which has a very important effect on the play. Mercutio and Benvolio are walking around on the street of Verona. The audience already knows that Benvolio is a careful person who is not interested in fights and this is shown because Benvolio is weary that short tempers will fly easily because the weather is hot.
‘For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.’
Mercutio was not happy of what Benvolio is saying just like Tybalt was not happy what Benvolio said in Act 1 Scene 1. I think this makes the audience fell that this will be another violent scene.
Tybalt enters looking to pick a fight on Romeo in which we know it is because Romeo was at the party.
‘Mercutio, thou consort’st with Romeo’
But Mercutio deliberately misunderstands Tybalt and trying to make Tybalt think that Benvolio that he was insulting him. But Tybalt tries to avoid Mercutio as he is still upset about him being insulted by hi parents because of Romeo.
I would say that Tybalt and Mercutio have similar personalities as both are proactive and are always looking for a fight. Both are always insulting each other families.
Romeo enters ad Tybalt insult really badly by saying:
‘Thou art a villain’
Tybalt insults him by calling him a peasant to a man of great status like Romeo. But Romeo did not wanted to have a fight as he knew that Tybalt was his blood as he was secretly married to Juliet. (Lines 67-71) This explains his friendliness to Tybalt.
Tybalt calls Romeo a boy for more than several time in the scene referring him to a coward.
Mercutio had the wrong idea about the situation and felt that Romeo was scared and so decided help him and start a fight on Tybalt, while he calls Mercutio a gentlemen showing that he is afraid.
‘Tybalt, you rat catcher, will you walk’
Tybalt felt that Mercutio had said enough and both draw their sword into a battle. Romeo tries to stop the fight in which he gets into the way of and so Tybalt stabs Mercutio and kills him. Mercutio last words were very strong
‘A plague on both of you houses’
Meaning that he want both families to die. In those days a plague was a very powerful curse in Verona and Shakespeare audience would find it effective.
Romeo had a moment of madness and completely forgotten about Juliet and was very upset by his friends death. And so this lead him to kill Tybalt and Romeo reply was:
‘I am Fortunes Fool’
This had a strong effect on the audience as they knew it was too late for Romeo. The Prince arrived and wanted to know who started this in which Benvolio told him everything. And so the Prince had to banish Romeo from Verona forever for murdering Tybalt.
‘Let Romeo hence in haste,
Else, when he is found, that hour is his last.’
I think the Prince knew that Tybalt started the feud and felt sorry for Romeo. That’s why he never gave him a death penalty and decided to exclude him from Verona.
Act 3 Scene 5 I would say is probably the most emotional of the three violent scenes. The scene starts with Romeo and Juliet saying goodbye to each other. Both knew that Romeo had to leave Verona or he will be killed.
‘I must be gone and live, or stay and die’
Both were telling each other grief until the nurse entered saying that Lady Capulet is looking for Juliet so Romeo said a few words and has left the scene. Lady Capulet enters noticing that Juliet was upset, thinking that it was because of Tybalts death but the audience knew it was because of Romeo.
‘Evermore weeping for your cousins death’
Juliet goes along with this and pretended that it was because of his cousins death why she was upset. But then Lady Capulet start insulting Romeo for killing him by calling him a peasant. She replied this by insulting Romeo.
‘Villain and he be many…
He doth grieve my heart’
The final few words ‘He doth grieve my heart’ is clever by Shakespeare to keep the audience. What Lady Capulet may think that the statement mean that Romeo broke her heart by killing Tybalt but to Juliet it is a sign that she loved her.
The mood changes for Juliet from heart broken to anger as Lady Capulet mentioned the news that Juliet will marry the County Paris next Thursday on lines 112-115.
Juliet replies saying that she is not in love with the County Paris and that she would rather marry Romeo in which the audience that she is already married to.
‘It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate,
Rather than Paris. These are news indeed!’
Modern audience may have a problem because they might think, ‘Why do not Juliet just marry Paris’, but the Elizabethan audience knows why wouldn’t she. This is because in those days they use to believe that if Juliet marries twice then she will go to hell forever.
When Capulet entered the scene and heard the news that Juliet refuses to marry Paris, he was very angry. He regretted not making Juliet not marry at a young age, saying that he spoilt her and made her ‘proud’.
Capulet uses his power over Juliet saying that if he does not marry Paris, then he will kick Juliet out and leave her to die.
‘And you be mine, I’ll give you to my fiend;
And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets,’
When Juliet mother and father leaves, Juliet knows she has found herself in a tricky situation and asked the nurse for advice. The nurse says that she should marry Paris, this made Juliet very upset as she felt that the nurse did not understand her and pretended to use her advice.
‘Well, thou hast comforted me marvellous much’
When the nurse left, Juliet felt very lonely as she has no one to turn to but she hope that Friar Lawrence can help with her problems otherwise she might as well die. Lines 235-241.
If I had to direct Act 3 Scene 5, I would use a traditional setting of Juliet’s bedroom in a medieval grand house. The reason for this is that I think that this scene is all about the Elizabethan times as it has Capulet wanting Juliet to have an arranged marriage and Juliet knew she can’t as it would take her to hell. If I use a modern setting, I would think the audience would get confused.
I would want to make Capulet and Juliet to show more of their feelings more. I would make Capulet strike Juliet in the face as it would make the audience know how angry he is. I would also make Juliet fall on the floor crying when Capulet does this to make her show her emotions a lot more.
