In Act 3 Scene 1, Benvolio the non-violent, peaceful person, tries to persuade Mercutio that they should go home to stop a fight burning out between them and the Capulets. Tybalt is very at Romeo, for when he went to the Capulet ball. There is a lot of tension building between Tybalt and Mercutio at this part of the scene, Mercutio’s attitude towards Tybalt shows that he wants to fight. At this part of the scene Romeo enters, Tybalt tries to make Romeo fight him, but straight away Romeo thinks no, because he just remembered he had just got married to Juliet and Tybalt is part of Juliet’s family, so that makes him part of Romeo’s family. Mercutio is getting annoyed with Romeo for letting Tybalt insult him and Romeo isn’t even fighting back, Romeo just says that he doesn’t want to fight Tybalt and that he loves him. At this point, Mercutio is all steamed up and he fights Tybalt instead; then Romeo tries to stop the fight, but then Tybalt sticks his sword under Romeo’s arm into Mercutio, Tybalt looks at his sword and notices the blood on it, so Tybalt; the rest of the Capulets flee. Mercutio “I am hurt”, everyone thought he was joking around because that’s the sort of person Mercutio was, since no one in the house of Montagues would help him; the Capulets are the ones who stabbed him, Mercutio placed a plague over both the houses. Romeo got really angry with Mercutio’s death, Romeo claimed this day to be ‘black fate’. Romeo goes after Tybalt, when he finds him, Romeo tells Tybalt that he has slain Mercutio, so Romeo decides to fight Tybalt, ‘they fight aggressively’ but in the end, Romeo rises to become victorious, Romeo runs away. Lady Capulet, the prince and other citizens enter, when lady Capulet sees what has happened, she gets very upset, saying things like “Tybalt, my cousin”, “for blood of ours, shed blood of a Montague”, but she also says that Romeo should be killed; that she doesn’t believe that Tybalt slayed Mercutio, but the prince does believe it and allows the hate between the two houses proceed. I think this scene is important for the rest of the story, because of Romeo’s banishment, it’s the scene where two main characters die.
In Act 3 Scene 5, the violence and conflict is different than to what has already happened. For the argument that occurs is not between the two houses of, Montagues and Capulets, but is between Juliet and her parents. After Romeo and Juliet had spent their wedding night together, they part not knowing when they will meet again. When lady Capulet enters Juliet’s room, she mistakes Juliet’s sadness and crying over Tybalt’s death, so she comments “even more weeping for your cousins death”. When lady Capulet tells Juliet that she is to marry Paris, Juliet reacts in a unpleasant attitude, she says “he shall not make me there a joyful bride”. Lady Capulet tells Juliet to tell to tell her father herself, that she doesn’t want to marry and see how he will take it in Juliet’s hands. Capulet is steaming mad at Juliet’s refusal to marry Paris, Capulet says “what is this? Proud and I thank you, and I thank you not”, his like you ‘you either accept; marry Paris, or I will drag you on a hurdle thither’. The historical context, is that fathers could force their daughters into marriage, but she can’t marry Paris because she is already married to Romeo. Friar Lawrence’s plan, which is a remedy that would give Juliet the power to die, but it doesn’t actually kill her, it just makes her seem dead, for three days, then she wakes from her deep sleep.
“Romeo and Juliet” is known to be a ‘love story’, but there are a number of times, which would suggests that the themes of ‘violence and conflict’ are central to the play. This play can be very violent at times, such as in Act 3 Scene 1, when Mercutio and Tybalt were both killed. I think the fight scenes have more impact on the audience, because it shows how aggressive the two houses can get at times, towards each other. I think “Romeo and Juliet” is both a love and hate story, because it shows that two families hate each other, where there always fighting and some end up dieing. The love part from where two people, one from each house fall in love and end up killing themselves just so they don’t have to hide there love from the houses (there families) anymore.
