In Act 2 Romeo and Juliet get married secretly. They have to get married in secret because of the feud between their families. The only other person who knows about it is Friar Lawrence. When one character or no one knows about something but the audience does, it is called ‘dramatic irony’ and that builds tension for the audience. Friar Lawrence agrees to marry them because he thinks this will end the feud between the two families. This is shown by this quote: “For this alliance may so happy prove
To turn your households’ rancour to pure love”. He truly thinks that Romeo and Juliet’s marriage will help get rid of tension between the two families.
Act 2 Scene 6 is a private, happy, romantic scene.
Act 3 Scene 1 is the antithesis of Act 2 Scene 6. It is public, angry and violent scene. It is a dramatic contrast. When Tybalt comes to fight, Romeo does not want to because he is married to Tybalt’s cousin, Juliet. Now Tybalt is his family, but he can’t tell him. Romeo says: “But love thee better than thou canst devise
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love”. Act 3 Scene 1 is a turning point because the actions in this scene lead to death of Romeo and Juliet and few other characters. The loathing of two families leads to this fight which leads to five characters death at the end. Romeo is banished after he kills Tybalt. This leads to Friar Lawrence’s plan which turns out badly.
The fight is mostly Tybalt’s fault. He challenges Romeo because he is angry at him for coming to Capulet’s party. It is also Mercutio’s fault because he jokes around and says that he will fight instead of Romeo. He plays with his words and calls Tybalt ‘King of Cats’. He says: “Good King of Cats, nothing but one of your nine lives”. The teasing makes Tybalt want to fight with Mercutio which results in Mercutio’s death and later on in Tybalt’s death.
After Mercutio dies, Romeo gets angry and wants revenge. To Tybalt he says: “That late thou gavest me, 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”. This quote shows how deeply Romeo is hurt by his best friend’s death. His words are carefully chosen to show his hurt towards Tybalt. That makes the audience realise how serious he is about wanting revenge and how much he cared about Mercutio.
Theme of fate plays a big role in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Romeo calls himself ‘fortune’s fool’. Throughout the play he talks a lot about fate. In Act 1 before the party Romeo says:
“I fear, too early, for my mind misgives
Some consequences yet hanging in the stars”.
Romeo knows that going to the Capulet’s party will lead to something bad. In Act 3 Scene 1 the theme of fate is shown quite a lot, because it is the main theme in that scene. Example of this is when Mercutio is dying and he says: “A plague a’both your houses!” He says that three times to show how serious he is. Because of the feud between two families Mercutio is dying, so he wishes sickness on both houses.
After Mercutio dies Romeo says:
“This day’s black fate on mo days doth depend;
This but begins the woe others must end”.
Romeo knows something bad will happen because of this fight. This quote shows the theme of fate. Romeo knows or he can sense that this fight will lead to something even worse later on.
Benvolio talks in ‘iambic pentameter’. This shows that he thinks about what he wants to say before he says it. Example of this is when Benvolio says:
“I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire:
The day is hot, the Capels are abroad,
And, if we meet, we shall not’ scape a brawl,
For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring”. You can see that his quote has a rhythm to it. Benvolio talks in ‘iambic pentameter’ throughout the play, to show that his character is calm and thinks before saying something.
Romeo also talks in ‘iambic pentameter’. He talks like that throughout most of the play but changes his language to prose when he is angry at Tybalt. Example of when he is talking in ‘iambic pentameter’ is this quote:
“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she”. The audience can see that Romeo is very romantic character in this play. Because he talks like that most of the time, it is more obvious when he changes to prose. He changes to prose because he is angry and the audience can see he is angry because he usually does not talk in prose.
On the other hand Mercutio talks in ‘prose’. He does not think about what he says. He just says what is on his mind. In Act 3 Scene 1 he says:
“Nay, and there were two such, we should have none shortly, for one would kill the other. Thou! Why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more or a hair less in his beard than thou hast...” This quote shows that what he says does not rhyme and it is straightforward. It is not thought about. Mercutio is a witty character and it is shown through his language. He is humorous and that makes the audience like him more, so when he dies it is more of a tragic.
In conclusion Act 3 Scene 1 is a turning point in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ because the play changes from romance to tragedy. The fight in this scene leads to main characters’ death, which makes the play even more tragic.
The theme of fate is shown in this scene when Mercutio wishes sickness on both families and when Romeo calls himself ‘fortune’s fool’. He can also sense that the fight will lead to something even more tragic.
By Kamola Erghasheva
10C1
