The scene is set in Verona Italy. Italy was one of the richest nations on the planet at the time; it had picturesque city of Verona with one of the most spectacular landscapes and culture. Verona is fruitful, colorful city and maybe that’s where it milks the ‘star cross’d lovers’, it is where the genuine love is located.
Italy is one of the most romantic place-which is fitting for the story; it is set there because of the weather, to create a tough atmosphere. In Italy the weather is hot and Shakespeare set the play in this weather to make the public people exhausted and hotheaded. This will affect the characters like ‘Tybalt’ by picking up a fight easily. The fact that the scene is set in public is to reveal the deadliest consequence of two noble families fighting each other and the effect of it to people to understand what is wrong? And what is right? It is a lesson for them to learn.
The scene opens with Benvolio and Mercutio hanging out on the streets of Verona. And Benvolio says to Mercutio ‘‘I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire; the day is hot and the Capulet is abroad, and, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl’’ which he means pleasant Mercutio lets go indoor, it’s outside, and the Capulet are wandering around, if we sees them then we’ll certainly get into a fight. When it’s hot outside, people become extremely mad and hot-blooded so the weather is used to set an atmosphere of hate and violence to maybe show contrast between weather and violence.
Benvolio name means ‘’I wish well’’ in this scene of the play he tries to pacify the fighting, ‘’let’s retire’’ trying to persuade Mercutio to leave the place and avoid him getting in an argument with Tybalt. This shows that Benvolio is a peaceful character, which contrasts with Mercutios’ name more violent character.
Mercutios’s name means a man of ‘sudden violence extremes’. His general attitude to life is that he likes fighting, with word, sworn with his astonishing imagination. Everything he says about Benvolio is in fact, true about himself. He is ‘as hot as a Jack in the mood as any in Italy’ He is happy to see the Capulet a chance to excuse his wits. ‘By my heel, I care not’ he shows concern about Tybalt directly and shows that he is not bothered and is confidence in his ability to stand up for himself.
Mercutio seems to be in trouble and says to Tybalt don’t be a coward have more than a word hit me ‘blow’ as I can take it. ‘And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something; make it and a blow’ Mercutio is a young brave Montague and can takes what ever Tybalt says to him and he has the courage and determination to do all sort of things because of his loyalty towards Romeo. Mercutio becomes aggressive and takes out his sword ready to fight ‘Here’s my fiddlestick. Here’s that shall make you dance. Zounds, “consort”! Mercutio saying to Tybalt her is my fiddlestick and I will use it to make you dance. This shows that the play is till now a comedy, Mercutio making a hilarious joke; I think he made this joke because to make Elizabethan audiences laugh at the time and it shows a contrast between violence and entertainment.
Mercutio love to fight and says to Tybalt that he doesn’t care who sees him fighting ‘’ Men’s eyes were made to look and let them gaze. I will not budge for no man’s pleasure, I.’’ he thinks he is cool and words fight with Tybalt by telling him Men’s eyes were made to see things, so let them watch. I won’t move to please anybody; he is talking about the public people saying I will fight you and let them look at us, to witness who will come on top.
Tybalt has come to seek a fight and kill Romeo; he does not wish to fight with Mercutio however, Mercutio will not give up a chance to fight, either with words or sword, so when Romeo approaches, Tybalt is violently outraged; ‘’thou art a villain’’ he calls Romeo and then Romeo replies in love, because he knows he is going to be a family member. This makes Tybalt even more furious but Romeo will not react, calls him a ‘’Good Capulet’’. I do protest I ‘’never injured thee, But love thee better than … know the reason of my love. And so, good Capulet—which name I tender as dearly as my own—be satisfied’’ Tybalt does not want to hear any of this from Romeo and he is obviously agitated by Romeo's reasoning. He tells Romeo that his new found reasoning does not excuse him for any of his wrong doings and orders him to turn and draw. Romeo protests saying that he never has injured Tybalt and insists that he could never fight against a Capulet, which is a name I love like my own name—you should be satisfied with what I say.
It’s up to Mercutio to take up the fight. And then Mercutio approaches Tybalt by saying ‘’Tybalt, you ratcatcher, will you walk?’’ Which means you rat-catcher will fight me? And this is where Tybalt become furious and annoyed, but he controls his nerve and then Mercutio say this ‘Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out.’ Saying Will you pull your sword out of its cover? Hurry up, or I’ll smack you on the ears with my sword before you have yours drawn. This is where he become extremely ex-aspirated and hotheaded in blistering sunny atmosphere in Italy so then Tybalt replies ‘’ I am for you’’ I will fight you, shows that he is happy to fight any Montague.
The fight starts and Romeo calls his cousin ‘Mercutio’ ‘Gentlemen, for shame! Forbear this outrage. Tybalt, Mercutio! The Prince expressly hath forbidden bandying in Verona.’ Benvolio is saying, Gentlemen, stop this disgraceful fight. Tybalt, Mercutio, the Prince has banned fighting in the streets of Verona. Stop, While Romeo tries to stop the fight, Tybalt under Romeos arm stabs Mercutio to death and Mercutio says ‘A plague o' both your houses! This is an example of verbal violence, I am sped. Is he gone and hath nothing?’’ Which he means the consequence of this was only misfortune, the disease of your houses, Romeo gets up so aggravated and kills Tybalt. After stabbing Tybalt Romeo immediately realizes that he has made a big mistake despite knowing that he will be banished from Verona by the Prince. Overwhelmed by himself Romeo then cries and shouts in pain and says “O I am fortunes fool `` . Mercutio curses two families for fighting for years. This is how Shakespeare uses character like Mercutio to show an atmosphere of hate and violence as well as to create a contrast between Mercutios’s bitterness and Benvoilo’s naivety.
Tybalt is a Capulet and is not a man to be opposed; he expects everyone to bow to his wishes. If anything angers him, his answer is his sword and he thrives in a situation of civil wars. Pugnacious, hot-tempered, easily offended he will kill rather than reason. He lives by the sword and dies by it. His role in the act 3 and scene 1 is to pick a fight with Romeo; all because he went to a party- it has physically hurt him.” Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me. Therefore turn and draw’’ which means your words can’t excuse the harm you’ve done to me. So now turn and draw your sword, emphasizing the violence of his character.
Tybalt stabs Mercutio, just before coming to say this to Romeo ‘’Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here shalt with him hence’’ saying Romeo you are terrible, very bad boy, you hung out with him (Mercutio) and your going to follow him, I will send you to heaven. This is a brilliant example of how Shakespeare uses Tybalt’s character to communicate the idea of violence, as Tybalt is warning Mercutio to not hung about with Romeo and he is serious about it.
Romeo is quiet and sad about his love for Rosaline in the beginning. After discovering Juliet, he becomes more dynamic and passionate. He is willing to do anything, including die, in order to be with his love. Romeo is impulsive, wanting to get married right away and not thinking about the consequences.
His role on the scene is to get married with Juliet in secret and avoid Mercutio from fighting. He use to like fighting but hence he married Juliet he doesn’t want to fight, ‘’O sweet Juliet, Thy beauty hath made me effeminate’’ saying, Oh, lovable Juliet, your beauty has made me weak like a woman and I can’t bare to fight as I am stunned on your beauty ‘’Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till ’’ which means I never saw such a true beauty before, till now.
Romeo feels heart-broken, devastated and miserable after Mercutios’s death, who was his dear weapon and whom sacrifices his life for, I feel sympathy for him when he was killed by Tybalt because he was such a magnificent character with extradinary imagination and his terrific language, outstanding bravery. Yet again this is an eminent use of language by Shakespeare to communicate the idea of violence as he is intending to say that Mercutio role is finished and Romeo now had to step for it.
In conclusion I think Romeo and Juliet are responsible for their own death. If they didn’t keep romance secret and told their parents how much they loved each other, their parents might understand them and let them marry and I think for the events their parents are responsible because of the ‘ancient grudge” and the loved of Romeo and Juliet made it even worse. It is mostly Capulet’s and Montague’s ‘fault that Romeo and Juliet died. If they didn't hate each other so much, they would let their children marry, and they would be able to live happily ever after.
There was only one person that realized how unreasonable the fighting was and even tried to stop it, and he was Benvolio. Benvolio was a Montague, but the Capulet’s didn't have a peacemaker such as Benvolio. They only had Tybalt, whose only goal was to destroy all the Montagues. Capulet and Montague learned about their children's love when they were already dead. It is still mostly Capulet’s' and Montagues' fault that Romeo and Juliet died, but maybe it was just their fate to die. Benvolio name means good wishes he is a peaceful and courageous character and he always tries to stop conflict between Montague and the Capulet and of course he was the man who survived and explained to the prince why Romeo killed Tybalt.
I think that the events in the play were going to be different. If Romeo didn’t kill Tybalt? And then they could have made their marriage public and possibly ended the argument without any more bloodshed. If the Friar Laurence's note had gotten to Romeo on time, he would have known of Juliet's plan to fake her own death. Also, if Romeo had waited to confirm Juliet's death instead of galloping off to the burial ground, their lives would have been saved. Unfortunately, none of these events takes place. Verona bares witness to the family disagreements, between the Capulet and Montague families, which has been in existence for generations. In a matter of days, however, the feud finally ends. However, it takes the deaths of five of the family members for Capulet and Montague to make their peace.
Romeo loved Rosaline, but as soon as he saw Juliet he drop Rosaline like a stone. Romeo tells Juliet this, when she saw her for the first time ‘’Did my heart love till now?'’ Did my heart love someone before this moment? 'Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized.' He says he will do anything for her even willing to sacrifice himself.
Romeo and Juliet are the only loving characters in the play, which shows the juxtaposition with the other characters like Mercutio and Tybalt who portrait hate and violence and are violent which contrasts with them of love.
Mercutio is a Montague and best friend to Romeo, he is brave and his speeches are imaginative and he often uses his language playfully and sometimes dirty, in some way he is a Montague version of Tybalt, as he is keen to pick fight and he is very out going and loves entertainment.
Tybalt is a Capulet and a really aggressive character indeed, he is interested in fighting the Montague and everything he talks about is against the Montague’s and always shows his anger and hatred Toward Romeo’s family. And finally I thought that Shakespeare was inspirational, imaginative with his genius realization. The way he uses the characters to communicate the idea of hate and violence he was absolutely outstanding and break taking.
After reading all the main plots, I spotted a excellent imagination used by William Shakespeare during the play was that He used ‘Benvolio’s’ as a peace keeping for the Montague’s but he didn’t use any peace keeping for the Capulet, however I thought if he did used one for the Capulet’s then it was going to be a peaceful ending.
