There are many themes in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Love is a key theme. Violence and friendship are also important and when these themes come together it often does not end in a positive way, and can lead to death.
In Act 3 Scene 1 there is a change of scene, it is no longer set in Friar Lawerence’s cell, it is now set on the streets of Verona. This is a public place where everyone can see what is going on around them. The opening lines from Benvolio are ominous. He says “The day is hot”: this is symbolic for hot tempers. When he says the word “blood” it makes you think of death. He also seems to predict trouble, which will not end well for him and Mercutio, when he says, ‘…the Capels are abroad, And if we meet we shall not scape a brawl’. He undermines the Capulets by calling them “Capels”. There are two deaths in this scene. It says that Mercutio and Tybalt fall. Tybalt kills Mercutio and Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge. Romeo had attempted to make peace but in doing so had led to his friend’s death. This is very significant as they had already been warned by the Prince that any further violence would be punished; in Act 1 Scene 1 he stated, “Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace”.
Love is an important theme in the play. At the start of the play Romeo’s love is unrequited love. This means he thinks he is in love with Rosaline but she does not feel the same. Romeo’s view of love changes throughout the play because at the start he says “This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.” He was not acting like himself but when he meets Juliet he knows exactly who he is and what he wants. He is even willing to die for love “Come death, and welcome, Juliet wills it so”. You get the impression that Benvolio does not believe in love. He thinks you just meet a pretty girl and that is how love works. In Act 3 Scene 1, Romeo’s love for Mercutio leads him to avenge his death by killing Tybalt. His first reaction, due to his love for Juliet, had been to make peace, but this changed after Mercutio’s death.
Revenge is another important theme in the play. An example of revenge in Act 3 Scene 1 is when Mercutio, following his fight with Tybalt, curses them, saying “A plague on both your houses!” Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, aware that he is Juliet’s cousin. Tybalt kills Mercutio, which in turn leads Romeo to swear revenge against Tybalt. We see this when it says “For Mercutio’s soul Is but a little way above our heads, Staying for thine to keep him company. Either thou or I, or both, must go with him.” Lady Capulet also wants to avenge Tybalt’s death by killing Romeo. You see this when she says “For blood of ours, shed blood of Montague.”
There is also more violence and revenge elsewhere in the play like at the beginning where the servants of Capulet and Montague get in a fight. We see this when Sampson says “Draw if you be men. Gregory, rember thy washing blow.”
I have come to the conclusion that Act 3 Scene 1 is a very important part in the play because it is the turning point for Romeo and Juliet. Love, violence and revenge are all present in this critical scene. Following Mercutio’s death at the hand of Tybalt, something which Romeo had tried to prevent, Romeo kills Tybalt. This leads to Romeo having to flee Verona. If this violence had not taken place, Romeo and Juliet would have married, as had been arranged by Friar Lawrence. Instead, they are forced to change their plans and we have a very different outcome from what might have been expected at the end of Act 2.
