The play Romeo and Juliet opens with a fighting scene between Sampson and Gregory the Capulets servants against Abram and Baltasar, the Montagues servants. The first fight starts by Sampson and Gregory talking to each other about how they will insult the Montagues, Sampson says:
“A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of the Montagues”.
They carry on talking about how they wanted to ruin and destroy the Montagues. Then the two serving men enter Abram and Baltasar. This is when the fights starts, Abram says:
“Do you bite your thumb at us sir?”
“I do bite my thumb sir!” Sampson says. This carried on and Benvolio who is Romeo’s cousin and best friend enters, Benvolio says:
“Part fools!”
“Put up your swords, you know what to do”. Then it gets worse Tybalt, Juliets cousin enters the scene he however encourages the fight, Tybalt says:
“What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell all Montagues thee. Have at thee coward. This is where the fight starts again. This tells us that Tybalt is a very aggressive person. Benvolio tries to calm things down. This is the point where the Montagues and the Capulets get involved in the fight between the servants because of the family feud. The Prince warns the family, “ Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace….If ever you disturb our streets again you lives shall pay the forfeit of peace.”
At this point we find out that Romeo’s parents are worried about his strange behaviour, and Romeo tells Benvolio about his love for Rosaline.
“We talk here in the public haunt of men:
Either withdraw unto some private place,
Or reason coldly of your grievances,
Or else depart. Here all eyes gaze on us. At this point Romeo acts very strangely because he is in love with Rosaline and also Romeo is very different because he doesn’t care about anyone else not even the fighting he only cares about his love, he isn’t interested in anything else.
“Not having that which, having makes them short.”
“In love” says Benvolio
“Out
“Of love”
“Out of her favour where I am in love.”
Act 3 scene 1 is important because Tybalt and Mercutio are killed in this scene. In this scene Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend is outraged when Romeo refuses Tybalt’s challenge. Romeo tries to explain that he is not a villain. But he does not tell the others that he has married Juliet. Mercutio tries to defend Romeo’s honour and when Romeo tries to stop the fighting , it confuses Mercutio and he fails to evade Tybalt’s sword.
“To such greetings: Villain I am none.”
Tybalt is angry and Romeo tries to calm him down because Romeo is now related to Tybalt. Things don’t work out that easily so the fighting starts again. But during this fight Mercutio steps in to help Romeo and gets hurt.
“I am hurt”.
“A plague a both houses I am sped”.
“Is he gone and hath nothing”. Romeo gets really angry because Tybalt killed his best friend Mercutio and this awakens Romeo’s own sense of honour. He forgets that he has just married Juliet and takes his sword to attack her cousin Tybalt in an act of vengeance for the death of Mercutio.
“This shall determine that, Tybalt falls and dies”. This scene shows us how the feud results in innocent lives being harmed by it. This is where Prince Escales arrives and Romeo is told, “ Immediately do exile him hence…..Let Romeo hence in haste, else, when he is found, that hour is last”.
Lady Capulet discovers that Tybalt has died, she is devastated and she says that Romeo shall not live.
Act 3 Scene 5 is important because Juliet refuses to marry Paris. We as an audience know many things that the Capulets do not know. This scene takes place very early on a Tuesday morning in Juliet’s bedroom. Juliet’s father Capulet says that she will have to marry Paris. But Juliet refuses to marry Paris because she is already married to Romeo, however she doesn’t tell her father.
When her father finds out that she doesn’t want to marry Paris he gets really angry and wants to hit her and abuse her. “How, how, how, how, chopt logic? What is this?..” “Out you green-sickness carrion! Out you baggage!” ”You tallow-face.” This is a violent scene because Juliet’s father is using abusive language and he is threatening her. Juliet kneels down and tries to explain but her father just doesn’t want to hear it. “I tell thee what: get thee to church a Thursday.” Capulet wanted Juliet to get married to Paris otherwise he will throw her out of the house. “And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets.” This scene shows how harsh the relationship between Juliet and her father is and she cannot pretend to marry Paris because in Shakespeare’s time it would’ve been a mortal sin to go through marriage when you are already married. If you did this you will certainly go to hell and there is no way that the priest Friar Lawrence would conduct such ceremony. In this scene various people know various things but they do not have the full picture for example the Capulet’s think they know what has upset their daughter (Tybalt’s death), but they are quite wrong. Juliet knows about her marriage to Romeo but cannot explain to her parents and she does not know, until they tell her, about their plans for her to get married to Paris. The Nurse knows about Juliet’s secrets but she advises Juliet to marry Paris. Juliet is shocked and pretends to agree to this advise but knows that only Friar Lawrence could help her. Juliet feels lonely and alone in the world. Shakespeare makes full use of this dramatic scene about what people do and don’t know.
Act 5 Scene 3 is important because Romeo and Juliet die. This scene starts in Verona in a church yard with the tomb of the Capulets. Paris enters the scene with flowers and sweet water, however he doesn’t know that Juliet is still alive, the only person that knows that is the priest Friar Lawrence.
Paris talks to Juliet not realizing that she is still alive.
Romeo arrives at the scene; he doesn’t even realize that Juliet is still alive. Romeo finds Paris there and suddenly they both start fighting and Romeo ends up killing Paris.
Paris says;
“Open the tomb lay me with Juliet.” Then Paris dies.
Romeo talks and then the priest enters the scene. Baltasar the Montague’s servant also enters the scene. Romeo then takes the poison drinks it and dies.
“Here is to my love, o true apothecary. Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.”
Juliet rises, everything goes quite, she takes Romeo’s dagger and stabs herself. She falls on Romeo’s body and dies.
Violence and Conflict are central to Romeo and Juliet, I think this because in every family relationship there is always arguments and disagreements. Family feud in every culture which goes on and on can have devastating effects on the new generation. Although there is violence it is invetible due to the circumstances in which the characters find themselves. Loyalties are divided in the relationships between servants, friends and family members. In Asian culture, even today, there are serious conflicts which result in family breakdowns and murders. In newspapers these headlines capture the attention of readers and perhaps Shakespearian audience found this play spectacular and the dramatic irony of the young lovers death very interesting.
In conclusion I think that Romeo and Juliet is a very violent play because it has fighting in nearly all the scenes. The play starts with a violent scene and it ends with a violent scene. When people think about Romeo and Juliet they mainly think about three main points, the love, the deaths and the conflict and violence in the play.
Love: where they meet by the balcony. Death: where Romeo and Juliet commit suicide.
Violence: the arguments and the fights between the Montagues and the Capulets.
I think that Romeo and Juliet have a bit of both hatred and love.
Hatred which shows the violence and also love at first sight.
My favourite scene is the ending, Act 5 Scene 3 because it is a very tragic scene but also something that you wouldn’t expect to happen.
