Abram keeps calm until, Sampson says his master is better, this leads to a fight. Benvolio tries to stop the fight “part fools, put up your swords you know not what you do” Benvolio doesn’t want a fight but then Tybalt arrives, Tybalt is a mean man who loves to fight, as soon as he arrives he helps to worsen the situation by adding to the fighting “turn thee Benvolio look upon thy death”
Benvolio still refuses to fight and talks of peace but Tybalt is not listening he tries further to insult Benvolio into fighting. “I hate the word as I hate hell, all montagues and thee”.
When Capulet and Montague hear the fighting they want to join in, even though they are portrayed as being fairly old men. It is the prince who stops the fighting and he threatens the two houses with a penalty of death if they are caught fighting again.
This scene shows the conflict very well, it shows how the quarrel is between the servants as well as Montague and Capulet themselves, “the quarrel is between our masters and us their men” the servants feel they are at war with each other and there is a definite division between the two houses. This is particularly interesting because it is the opening scene. This would have grabbed people’s interest and introduced them to the fact the two families’ hate each other. This scene also contains some humour, such as the servants losing their confidence and chickening out as well as humorous word play.
In act 3 scene 1 we see what is possibly the key scene in terms of bringing the conflict to a head. Tybalt is looking for Romeo, he is annoyed with Romeo because he came to a party the capulets throw. He feels Romeo was there to cause trouble and wishes to challenge him to a duel.
At first he does not find Romeo but his friends, Benvolio and Mercutio. Mercutio tries to taunt Tybalt, he twists Tybalt words and makes jokes for example Tybalt says Mercutio “consort’st” with Romeo, Mercutio uses the wrong meaning of the word consort. Mercutio tries to tease Tybalt but then Romeo arrives. He greets Romeo by calling him a “villain” this was a great insult of the time and really shows how much Tybalt hates Romeo. Romeo has just married Juliet, Tybalt cousin and so is in no mood to fight with him. Unlike in the first scene the quarrelling is between only two people. Romeo says he loves Tybalt “the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage” Tybalt feels Romeo is mocking him and it angers him even more. When Romeo still refuses to fight Mercutio feels Romeo is being a traitor and accepts the challenge himself. “O calm dishonourable, vile submission” when Tybalt and Mercutio start fighting Romeo tries to stop them by coming between them, Tybalt seizes this opportunity and stabs Mercutio under Romeos arm. Mercutio is still joking saying that tomorrow he would be “a grave man” meaning he would be dead as well as worried. He then jokes about the size of the wound “tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door” he blames Romeo for coming between them and curses both houses “a plague o both your houses” it is the families feuding that led to Mercutios death. This really shows the conflict between the two houses and the consequences of their fighting.
Romeo is very angry when Mercutio dies and goes after Tybalt, he is not thinking straight and feels Juliet's love has made him feminine “thy beauty hath made me effeminate, and in my temper soften’d valour’s steel” he challenges tybalt and wins but afterwards regrets his actions “o, I am fortunes fool” he knows he acted irrationally and regrets it because now it is likely he will be put to death, and he has just married Juliet.