‘Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo?’
When Romeo enters he departs from Mercutio.
‘Peace be with you sir, here comes my man.’
Tybalt then tries to provoke Romeo into a fight, but he reacts calmly, as he has just married Juliet. Tybalts cousin.
‘Boy this shall not excuse the injuries thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw.’
Again Romeo acts calmly, and to prove the strength of his conviction he submits to Tybalt.
‘And so good Capulet, which name I tender as dearly as my own, be satisfied.’
Mercutio is incensed with this ‘dishonourable vile submission’ and challenges Tybalt to a fight.
‘What’s would thou have with me? Good King of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives.’
Romeo warns both people that the prince ‘expressly hath forbid this bandying on Verona Streets’ and stands between the fighters. Tybalt then thrusts his sword underneath Romeos arm intended to draw blood from Mercutio but impales him, leaving him close to death.
‘I am hurt, A plague on both your houses! I am peppered, I warrant for this world. A plague on both you houses! Help to a houses Benvolio, or I shall faint. A plague on both your houses!’
Mercutio curses the families three times which is extremely significant in the play as we know that further in the play member of both households suffer death. Romeo is angered and directs it towards Tybalt and subsequently kills him. He proceeds to flee and Prince and Lady Capulet arrive and are distraught by their findings.
‘O blood is spilled of my own kinsman! O cousin O cousin!’
It is decided that Romeo will be banished which excites the audience as they know he wont be able to leave Juliet.
‘Immediately we do exile him hence’
The third violent scene is act three scene five. This scene commences with Romeo just beginning to leave Juliet’s bedroom after their wedding night. They are interrupted by nurse hastily bursting in to notify them, to be careful leaving.
‘Your lady mother is coming to the chamber, the day is broke, be wary, look about.’
Romeo descends off the balcony, kissing Juliet goodbye.
‘One kiss and I will descend’
As Lady Capulet Enters, Juliet’s wording becomes very ambiguous, for example saying that she is upset for a loss which we know is Romeo, yet Lady Capulet thinks it is for Tybalt. A lot of Dramatic irony falls into place throughout this scene.
‘Yet let me weep for such a feeling loss.’
Furthermore she refers to marriage with Romeo, which we know is true, but Lady Capulet takes it as sarcasm.
‘I will not marry yet, and when I do I swear it will be to Romeo.’
Lady Capulet then breaks the news to Juliet that Lord Capulet wants her to marry to Paris.
‘Marry my child, early next Thursday morn.’
Juliet Protests, but Lady Capulet responds ‘tell him yourself, and see how he will take it at your hands’.
Lady Capulet tells Lord Capulet of Juliet’s decision and his mood changes from Jovial to anger and diverts towards Juliet.
‘Go with Paris to St Peters Church, or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither. You tallow face!’
Juliet begs her father to stop and falls to her knees.
‘I beseech you on my knees.’
Still in rage he storms away. Juliet looks for comfort in her mother, who walks away, and again in the Nurse, who has been easily lead to believe Lord Capulet is right. Juliet learns she cannot trust her Mother, Father or Nurse.
‘I think its best you married with the county.’
Juliet then tells her feelings in a soliloquy, and says she will seek Friar Lawrence’s advice, ‘and if all else fail, myself have power to die.’
If I was to direct this scene, firstly I would have the rooms traditionally furnished to show the high class of the Capulets’. Then when Lord Capulet said ‘my fingers itch’ then I would make him hit Juliet, causing her to fall to the floor to show his power and determination to get what he wants. Finally I would use lighting to portray the atmosphere around the room and the moods of the characters. I.e. when Romeo was there the room would be light but when Lord Capulet entered the room would be dark, all of a sudden.
The next and last violent scene is act five scene three. This scene is the climax of the entire play and all secrecy is revealed but too late.
It starts with Paris and his page arriving at Juliet’s tomb with flowers. The page indicates someone is coming by whistling and Paris hides.
‘Muffle me night awhile.’
Romeo enters with Balthasar, bearing a torch, a mattock and a crow if iron. Romeo gives a letter to Balthasar to give to his father and tells him to go.
‘Take thou that, live and be prosperous good fellow. Balthasar doubts Romeos intent and hides to check on him.
‘Ill hide hereabout, his looks I fear and intents I doubt.’
Romeo opens the tomb, but after is confronted by Paris who thinks he is there to vandalise the property.
‘I enforce thy rotten jaws to open.’
‘This is that banished haughty Mountague that murdered my loves cousin.’
Romeo says he has poison to kill him, and means no harm. Obviously Paris doesn’t believe him.
‘I do defy thy conjuration.’
They fight, and Paris is killed. Before he dies he gives Romeo a request, ‘Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.’
Romeo is obligated to do so. Romeo then starts to say that he will take his poison here with his ‘paramour’.
‘O here will I set up my everlasting rest and shake yolk of inauspicious stars.’
This refers to fate which would coincide with Elizabethan Beliefs.
Romeo drinks the poison.
‘Heres to my love! O true apothecary!’
‘Thy drugs are quick, thus with a kiss I die’
Friar Lawrence rushes to the chamber, and sees Balthasar who refers him to the tomb, where he knows Romeo is, oblivious to the happenings. Friar Lawrence sees bloody weapons and fears the worst.
‘Alack, alack, what blood is this which stains the stony entrance of this sepulchre?’
When he sees Romeo and Paris he is distraught, and wonders what has brought on this unnatural, sorrowful event.
‘Romeo! O pale! Who else? What Paris too? And steeped in blood? Ah what an unkind hour is guilty of this lamentable chance?!’
Juliet begins to ‘stir’ and rises.
‘Where is my Romeo?’
Friar Lawrence tells her, but not readily.
‘Thy husband in thy bosom lies dead’
In Juliet’s sorrow she draws Romeos Dagger, and stabs herself.
‘Yea noise? Then Ill be brief, O happy dagger, this is thy sheath; there rest, and let me die.’
Then the prince, Capulet Family and Mountague family enter the scene and Friar Lawrence explains the sequence of events leading up to the tragedy.
‘Romeo there dead, was husband to Juliet’
Then gave her sleeping potion which took affect as I intended.’
Mountague and Capulet agree to abandon all hostility.
‘O brother Mountague, give me thy hand.’
‘For no more can I command’
The Prince declares the peace.
‘A glooming peace this morning with it brings; the sun for sorrow will not show its head. Go hence to have more talk of these things; some shall be pardoned, and some punished. For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and Romeo.’
If I was to direct this scene the set gloomy, dark and dusty to reflect the ancient history of the chamber and the tragedy that was about to happen. When Juliet woke I would direct the actress to scream, to portray the severity of the situation that was taking place. As the truce was reached I would direct a spotlight to shine upon the crowd to represent the newly found peace.
So therefore it can be seen that ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a considerably violent play and all violent scenes are quite pivotal in the storyline. For Example when the warning was placed on the families or especially when a curse was placed on the families houses and Romeo being banished.
I feel I would remember the play from the violence but as it was so intertwined with the love of Romeo and Juliet I think I would remember them equally. My personal favourite scene is the last, as this is the climax of all the previous events built up in the play and that the violence is brought to an end by the mutual respect and feelings of The families Mountague and Capulet, ‘both alike in dignity’.
