‘Tybalt’, ‘Juliet’s’ cousin is proud, thinks highly of himself, but unlike ‘Benvolio’, he is easily provoked and will do anything to stop himself from looking weak and likewise equal to anyone else. Tybalt uses powerful language; it differs from the servants as he gets his point across easily instead of playing word games. Tybalt’s language also reflects his next action and is highly negative, ‘as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward.’ Act 1 Scene 1 lines 64-66. This warning makes Benvolio back out on his ‘peace talk’ and they fight.
Old Montague and Old Capulet react alike to the fight, with the only difference them is that old Capulet uses bold challenging language and old Montague seems to defy this, but both of the use violent tone as if to set who has the most power.
Prince Escales is the character with the most power in the play, highly respected by every single person even Old Capulet and Montague. It is made clear since the first scene of the play that Prince Escales is the most powerful character as he is the first to speak at length. The language used, is obviously the most carefully thought out by Shakespeare as it contains a variety of metaphors ‘With purple fountains issuing from your veins’ (Act 1 Scene 1 Line 79) this metaphor says that the fountains are their blood. The prince is also the only character to use direct insults towards the rest of the characters without it being retorted.
The Prince also threatens the rest of the characters that if another dispute brakes out between them they will pay with their lives, ‘Your lives shall pay the forfeit of peace’ (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 91)
This links to violence as the Price uses violent language from start to finish of his speech and threatens them with death without giving anyone the chance to explain, speak up or to apologise.
The audience learns from the speech that the feud has been going on a long time back as this fight happened with anticipation of the last three.
The prince also mentions that the arguments were started by word of mouth.
Romeo and Benvolio are discussing Romeo’s strange change of behaviour. Romeo confesses that he is madly in love with Rosaline who is a Capulet, which is making him feel miserable as she does not seem to show an interest in him but the audience can infer that this so called ‘love’ is just teenage lust.
Romeo language in this Scene is very poetic, full of passion and pain. ‘Being purge’d, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes’ (Act 1 Scene 1 line 185) this means that he is purified by the sight of Rosaline as she is as clear and pure as fire.
Romeo seems to want Rosaline for mere physical relations as he says that if she was like ‘Dian’ the goddess of chastity she would miss his love but perhaps he could seduce her because if he didn’t it would be a waste of her beauty. This links to the title as in accordance to Romeo’s feelings he loves her yet all he cares about is him self and just wants to take advantage of her.
In ‘Act 1 Scene 4’, Benvolio and Mercutio persuade Romeo to join them to the ball.
Mercutio tries to persuade Romeo to go with him and Benvolio by using violent language towards love as if it was the enemy and Romeo had to go to the ball and meet another lady in order to conquer it.
Mercutio’s description of ‘Queen Mab’ links to violence as it can be inferred that in everything good there is also evil and that true happiness and love only exists in dreams. It also says that great harm could be caused from something minuet.
Romeo fears that he will die or that something which will change his life forever is to happen either that night or fairly soon. Romeo blames the stars ‘hanging in the stars’ (line 107). On the other hand, to the reader this feeling not just by fate but they could have also been created by other characters and to the way they act towards him. The story of ‘Queen Mab’ was bringing a lot of new thoughts of anger and wonder into Romeo’s head as the story was quite mystical and extraordinary.
In ‘Act 1 Scene 5’ at the masquerade, everything is going smoothly until Tybalt; Old Capulet’s nephew spots some Montague’s, Romeo, Benvolio and their companions.
Tybalt’s reaction is immediate; his language is highly violent and says that if he was to kill him it would not be a sin ‘To strike him dead I hold not a sin’ (line 58). Old Capulet orders him to stay away from Romeo and to let him be as he held a party and it would not be disturbed and soon looses his patience. ‘You’ll make mutiny among my guests!’
Juliet seems to have a violent reaction to falling in love as her language becomes aggressive and negative.
‘Go ask his name-If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed.’ (Line 133-134)
Juliet’s usual politeness soon disappears and for the first time in the play she treats the nurse as a servant and not as a friend. Juliet also says that if she can’t marry Romeo she would just want to die, even though she does not know the first thing about him.
In ‘Act 2 Scene 3’ the Friar uses the weather as well as contrasts to explain that everything is good but you can use this for evil if exceeded. ‘ The grey-ey’d morn smiles on the frowning night’ (Line 1) and in contrast to good being used for evil, evil can be turned into good, as the Friar believed that marrying Romeo and Juliet would do to the mutiny between their households.
In ‘Act 2 Scene 6’ the Friar tells Romeo to ‘love moderately’ (line 14) because when you use something you like more than you are supposed to, it will wear out and brake.
This also applies to violence, if you hate someone you are more likely to start a fight and it will probably get out of hand and end violently rather than if you held no grudges.
In ‘Act 3 Scene 1’ Mercutio describes Benvolio to have a quick temper as he has unjustified reasons for having disputes.
It can be inferred that Mercutio is talking about himself instead of Benvolio as firstly the audience already knows that Benvolio is the calmer and the one with more self control out of the two. Mercutio then goes on to say that Benvolio will start a brawl over any action someone else does for no apparent reason. But the audience also knows this is not true as Benvolio is always trying to stop arguments and he was the one comforting Romeo when he was upset about Rosaline while Mercutio was laughing at him and using violence and mysterious stories to further trouble him.
The quarrel develops when Mercutio provokes Tybalt by making senseless comments and replies to all his questions also by Romeo not replying to his ways full of contempt.
Both Mercutio and Tybalt make the situation more difficult, Mercutio carries on making fun out of Tybalt and Tybalt is easily annoyed and eventually is the one to draw his sword. Romeo reacts quickly he tells Benvolio to beat down their weapons with his own and steps between them.
Mercutio is killed by Tybalt who stabbed him, this is highly violent as a life was taken without need even though Romeo had already stopped the fight Tybalt felt this was not enough and went on ahead. This shows the Friar’s point in everything good there is evil.
Romeo is remorseful about Mercutio’s death and extremely furious that he starts a fight with Tybalt next time he sees him telling him that they will fight until one of them joins Mercutio in death. ‘Either thou or I, or both, must go with him’ this tells the audience that Romeo had a strong bond with Mercutio enough to want to take someone else’s life at the expense of loosing his own.
At fist the prince asks questions moderately and calmly but soon begin to get more violent through his use of language and tone of voice. ‘Benvolio, who began this bloody fray?’ Then he asks who should be punished for Mercutio’s death, leading him to a speech at length about nothing the fact that nothing could be done to change his mind and that Romeo would be executed. This is related to violence as the prince himself is willing to take a life but he will not have to deal with the consequences as he has the most power in Verona. This also shows moderation as he did not exceed in his violence but just condemned Romeo and left.
Old Capulet shows violence through his language towards Juliet. Act 1 Sc 5 ‘my finger itch’ this suggests that he is almost craving the fact of hitting Juliet so much so that his actual hands itch for it.
‘To go with Paris…out you baggage.’ Here Capulet is threatening Juliet to marry Paris, because if she does not he will apparently drag her on a wooden frame for being a traitor and continues to insult her.
‘And you be mine… die in the streets’ old Capulet is telling Juliet to reconsider marrying Paris because if she does not she will be dishonoured from the family and be left out in the street without any financial help.
All this shows harsh verbal violence towards Juliet, at this point of the play Old Capulet is at his most violent peak.
Juliet tells the friar that she will take her own life if he does not help her find a solution against marrying Paris.
Juliet’s language shows violence in lines 77-88 as she speaks really negatively and using very grotesque descriptions, so it could be said that she felt this way towards Paris, that he was so repulsive in her eyes that she would do virtually anything to stay married to Romeo.
The effect of the potion is very ironic as apparently it basically makes her body act as if dead yet she still lives, this is very contradictive.
In Act 5 Sc3, Paris, Romeo and Juliet die. Romeo kills Paris at Juliet’s tomb and the n drinks the poison he obtained from Apothecary and dies next to Juliet and as she awakens and sees her Romeo dead she stubs herself with his dagger.
The conclusion links to violence as most of leading characters die tragically just because of the initial petty argument between their families, the entire play built up to the last chain of events.
‘here’s much to do with hate, but more with love’ This quotations suggests that hate was more common than love, and that hate lead to love which lead to destruction and more hate, all because of the initial dispute between the families.
