Later in the scene the ‘hot-headed’ Tybalt enters and is looking for trouble (the audience know that the Montagues and Capulets will meet and they are expecting a tussle). Mercutio first notices the Capulet and when he tells Benvolio, he says, ‘By my heal, I care not’ which arrogantly dismisses Tybalt. Tybalt then replies by saying, ‘Gentlemen, good e’en; / a word with one of you’. This is chivalry between Tybalt and Mercutio. Mercutio’s language throughout this section of the scene is provocative towards Tybalt and is urging him to fight, an example of this is when he says, ‘And but one word with one of us? Couple it with / something: make it a word and a blow’. This is all about them wanting a fight, they are verbally sparring and the audience knows this. When Tybalt says, ‘Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo-’ Mercutio is deeply offended and reacts by saying, ‘Consort?…Zounds, consort!’ in this Shakespeare uses music terminology such as ‘Consort’ which is a group of musicians, Mercutio chooses to take offence at this because at the time musicians were servants. Romeo then enters later in the scene, this is dramatic irony because the audience know that he has married Juliet and everyone else doesn’t. This sparks off the fight that Shakespeare has been building up to right the way through this scene.
Tybalt first says, ‘Well, peace be with you, sir; here / comes my man’. This tells the audience that he has got a new target with Romeo but Mercutio is offended by this and takes ‘man’ to mean servant, he then replies to Tybalt by saying:
‘But I’ll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery.
Marry, go before to field, he’ll be your follower:
Your worship in that sense may call him “man” ’
This sparring is consistent throughout the play. Tybalt then turns to Romeo and says, ‘Romeo, the love…thou art a villain’. This is saying that Romeo is Tybalt’s biggest enemy. Romeo responds by saying, ‘Tybalt, the reason that i…I see thou know’st me not ’. It is almost as if Romeo is being forced into saying this because he is Tybalt’s brother-in-law as he has just married Juliet. This is dramatic irony. Romeo is also trying to calm the confrontation when he says, ‘Therefore, farewell; I see thou know’st me not’. Tybalt ignores this and is quick to insult him again, not knowing they are related and tells him to, ‘turn and draw’ (draw his sword). Again, Romeo backs down and almost pleads with Tybalt not to fight when he says:
‘I do protest I never injured thee, / But love
thee better than thow can’st devise / Till thou
shalt know the reason of my love / And so, good
Capulet, which name I tender / As dearly as my
own, be satisfied’
Tybalt does not question Romeo when he says he tenders the Capulet name as dearly as his own and this makes the audience wonder why. Mercutio then ‘buts-in’ and says, ‘O calm…will you walk?’ which blatantly shows the audience he has had enough bickering and wants to defend the Montague’s honour even if Romeo doesn’t by challenging Tybalt to fight. Tybalt counters by saying, ‘What would’st thou have with me?’ This is basically saying ‘What are you going to do?’ Shakespeare uses a pun on the name of Capulet when Mercutio says, ‘Good King of Cats’ to great effect in line 76. When Mercutio says, ‘I mean to…eight’ he is saying he will do what he wants with Tybalt’s first life (of the nine) and then, depending on how he treats him afterwards, he will use up the other eight by giving him a beating. Tybalt reacts to this by saying, ‘I am for you’ (let’s fight) Romeo tries to remind Mercutio that he is a gentleman and tells him to put his sword away when he says, ‘Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up’ but Mercutio ignores him and Mercutio and Tybalt finally fight, this has a dramatic effect on the play. Shakespeare leaves the stagecraft in this open to interpretation. Romeo, who is constantly trying to make peace, tries to stop the fight by coming between them but Mercutio is injured from behind Romeo, this is ironic. Mercutio says, ‘I am hurt / A plague o’ both your houses! I am sped’. This shows that Mercutio is angry because he is fatally injured as a result of their families quarrel. Benvolio then questions him by asking, ‘art thou hurt?’ Mercutio answers him by saying, ‘Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch’ Romeo doesn’t know that his wounds are fatal and when he asks him, Mercutio responds by saying, ‘No, ‘tis not so deep…I was hurt under your arm’. Throughout this Mercutio’s mood changes from positive to negative. Romeo says that he was just trying to help but Mercutio assures him that he is dying and again says, ‘A plague o’ both your houses!’ Benvolio then helps him out, nobody dies on stage. When he returns he tells Romeo that Mercutio is dead and Romeo reacts by killing Tybalt. Benvolio then tells Romeo to go because if he stays the Prince will sentence him to death, Romeo then says, ‘o, I am fortunes fool’ which refers to his fate, Romeo talks about his fate all the way through the play. Romeo then exits.
The Prince, Montague, Capulet, their wives and their servants enter to find that Mercutio and Tybalt are dead, the Prince questions Benvolio as to what happened. Benvolio explains and as a result of his actions the Prince exiles Romeo. The scene ends with the Prince saying, ‘Bear hence this body, and attend our will / Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill’ this is a rhyming couplet, every scene is usually ended in a rhyming couplet.
