Tybalt and Anger in "Romeo and Juliet".
by
khadijasheikh2021gmailcom (student)
Write about:
* How Shakespeare presents Tybalt’s intense anger for Montagues in this scene
* How you respond to the theme of anger in the play as a whole.
In Shakespeare’s tragic love story ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ Tybalt is the antagonising character who is has an immense hatred towards the Montagues because of the ‘ancient grudge’ between the two families. This extract shows Tybalt anger for the Montagues as he notices Romeo entering the Capulet party uninvited, in Act 1 Scene 5. Previously Romeo has been upset due to his unrequited love for Rosaline, ironically, he says Rosaline is the one, however in this scene he meets Juliet - the Capulet daughter. Tybalt is presented as a violent, provocative, yet justified character within this extract as his intense anger for the Montagues begun from his love for his family.
During Tybalt and Capulet’s conversation in this extract, Tybalt constantly refers to violence and anger, allowing Shakespeare to present ideas common in the Elizabethan society, as Tybalt’s violence is due to his revenge because Romeo has attended the Capulet party uninvited, however, Tybalt’s anger could also be triggered because he has a deep love towards his family, therefore the ‘ancient grudge’ mentioned in the Prologue has an immense effect on his actions. When asked by Capulet why he is angry, Tybalt responds by saying ‘this is a Montague, our foe/ A villain that is hither come in spite, ...
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During Tybalt and Capulet’s conversation in this extract, Tybalt constantly refers to violence and anger, allowing Shakespeare to present ideas common in the Elizabethan society, as Tybalt’s violence is due to his revenge because Romeo has attended the Capulet party uninvited, however, Tybalt’s anger could also be triggered because he has a deep love towards his family, therefore the ‘ancient grudge’ mentioned in the Prologue has an immense effect on his actions. When asked by Capulet why he is angry, Tybalt responds by saying ‘this is a Montague, our foe/ A villain that is hither come in spite, to scorn at our solemnity this night.’ The lexical field of negativity and violence intensifies his anger; therefore, the audience senses his anger. and by having ‘a Montague’ and ‘our foe’ in parallel, Shakespeare implies that the two are interlinked and have a similar meaning to Tybalt.
Tybalt is not the only character in the play that is used to show the theme of anger, during Mercutio’s death scene in Act 3, Shakespeare uses characters as well as other techniques to present his ideas about anger and the consequences. Shakespeare uses Mercutio’s character to present anger and hypocrisy, firstly, Mercutio curses the two families by repeating ‘a plague o’both your houses.’ In Elizabethan society, the police or other legal forces would not take action, therefore you were expected to have your own revenge, Mercutio does this by cursing the two families, also as fate was a common belief in Elizabethan society this curse would not only be the turning point of the play, but it would also explain why both Romeo and Juliet had a ‘death-marked love.’ Although, for a modern-day audience, the curse does not have such an affect, it would still be the turning point of the play. Also, in Act 3, Scene 1 Romeo presents his anger through religious imagery as he says: ‘Mercutio's soul/ Is but a little way above our heads/ Staying for thine to keep him company:/ Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him.’ By having religious connotations of death, heaven and hell, the audience sympathise with Romeo and as religion is a key theme in the play as well as being an important part of Elizabethan society, Shakespeare implies the seriousness and impact of Mercutio death. Shakespeare also uses iambic pentameter to shows Romeo’s control.
In conclusion, Shakespeare presents the theme of anger through the characters and their use of language, as Tybalt’s intense anger for the Montagues has been drawn up from the family feud. Also, both Romeo and Mercutio show anger when they are threaten, Shakespeare also implies the hypocrisy here. Although, it seems to typically be the younger generation who are the more violent characters, the feud begun with the elder generation and due to the patriarchal society, Capulet has a need to take control and when his authority is undermined he also shows his anger.