In act one scene one, a meeting of servants from the Capulet and Montagues ends in a violent brawl. Prince Escalus stops the fighting abruptly by threatening both households that if they do not throw down their weapons they will be tortured. The Montagues are pleased that Romeo was not involved and Benvolio is asked to go out and look for him. Romeo is found and he revels to Benviolio that he has fallen in love with Rosaline but she does not return his love. Benviolio suggests that he should look elsewhere.
As you can see the play starts off almost being a comedy with Sampson and Gregory playing about in the streets causing trouble. However the mood suddenly changes when the Montagues servants are seen. But Benvolio enters the scene who is sensible, a peacemaker and a sensitive person he tries to stop a brawl from breaking out ‘Part, fools!’. Nevertheless a violent brawl still breaks out between the two lots of servants. To me there was an unnecessary gesture made to the Montagues by the servants of the Capulets this is what caused the brawl. The two families fought because of the servant’s, and lots of people could have got killed for something that could have been prevented.
Tybalt enters this scene just before Benvolio. Tybalt shows in this scene that he is hot-tempered and aggressive. This is important because later on in the play when Mercutio mistakes the true Tybalt for a coward, Mercutio suddenly releases that his assumption was very wrong and a fight breaks out. Tybalt’s character is summed up in his answer to Benvolio’s peacekeeping ‘What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word As I hate hell, all Montagues and thee.’
This scene is important because the Prince warns the two families that ‘If ever you disturb our streets again, Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.’ This is of significance because Mercutio, Romeo and Tybalt later breaks the Princes warning, this results in two deaths and a banishment.
In my opinion violence is not necessarily central in this scene, but it is in fact the theme of ‘ blind’ loyalty is more important. Blind loyalty is more important in this scene because the families are so used to fighting they brawl with some family members not knowing the reason why they are fighting. This shows that the family members from both households are extremely loyal to the heads of their individual households. The Loyalty has come about because of the conflict, when the families’ meet there is uneasiness and the conflict flares up again into violence.
In act three scene one, there is more trouble between the families. Tybalt is looking for a fight with Romeo. Romeo steps between Tybalt and Mercutio to stop them fighting. Accidentally Mercutio is fatally injured. Romeo reacts very violently. He fights and kills Tybalt. The Prince is again in involved and sentences Romeo to banishment.
The mood at the start of this scene feels joyful to the audience because it is a hot day in Verona and the servants of the Montagues are outside relaxing after the party the night before. However this mood suddenly changes when Benvolio warns the group especially Mercutio that there might be some trouble if they do not get of the streets and go home. Mercutio does not listen. Mercutio’s lively mood and defiance to Benvolio’s sensible suggestion early on in the scene is crucial later in the scene when he decides to fight Tybalt in Romeo’s place.
In this scene there are two violent fights. The first fight happens because the Capulets and Tybalt are looking for Romeo to speak to him about gate crashing at their party the night before and to fight to get even with Romeo. However Romeo just being married to Juliet who is a Capulet, so he feels that Tybalt is family and he doesn’t want to fight he own family. Mercutio fights for Romeo and he gets killed. The second fight happens because Romeo is drawn to fight Tybalt much against his will. Romeo has the fighting power because he wants to prove that his love for Juliet (who he has just married) has not turned him into a coward as well as he wants to have revenge for his friend Mercutio’s death. ‘Alive in triumph, and Mercutio slain! Away to heaven respective lenity, And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!’ Romeo fights and kills Tybalt.
In my opinion the violence in this scene is central because of the fights but there is one thing that is also important: the romance in the scene. Before this scene Romeo and Juliet were married by Friar Lawrence, Romeo fresh and happy from his wedding enters the scene he is deeply in love. Even though this scene is very violent there is romance surrounding the violence. The violence between the two families makes the pairs forbidden love more romantic to the audience. This is because the audience knows what Romeo is going through not wanting to fight Tybalt because Tybalt is now a relation to Romeo. ‘And so, good Capulet, which name I tender As dearly as my own, be satisfied’ Unfortunately the characters on stage think that Romeo is a coward for not defending himself when he is insulted and offered a fight. This is called dramatic irony its when the audience knows something has happened that the characters in the play does not know about. This makes the audience feel the character’s emotion inside and gets the audience involved in the play.
This scene is very important because there is a major turning point in the play, ‘This day’s black fate on more days doth depend. This but begins the woe others must end.’ These two lines are important because so far we have had extreme happiness and hope in the play but now the mood of the play has taken a major turn because the two lines above signals the start of tragedy in the play.
In act three scene five, this is the last time Romeo and Juliet are together. Lady Capulet arrives to tell Juliet about the plans for the wedding to Paris; Juliet is upset and angry and refuses to marry Paris. Her father gives Juliet a choice to marry or be thrown out of the family. Juliet feels rejected and now she can only turn to the Friar Lawrence for advice.
There is a lot of violence in this scene between Juliet and her father. This is because Juliet does not want to marry Paris. Capulet shows his anger with Juliet by insulting her continuously throughout the scene with things like ‘Out, you baggage! You tallow-face’ and ‘Disobedient wretch!’ In her fathers eyes she is being disloyal to her family but Juliet is already married so in the eyes of God she cannot marry again. Capulet is furious with Juliet’s decision and he gives her a final choice: marry or to leave his house. ‘I’ll give you to my friend. An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets, For, by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee’
In my opinion the violence is not central in this scene but in fact disloyalty is. I feel this way because Juliet decides to not marry Paris and to be disloyal to her family instead. Juliet knows that she is not being disloyal to her family because she is already wed, but Capulet and his wife thinks that Juliet is being disloyal to her family. The thought of Capulet and his wife finding out about Romeo and Juliet’s love towards each other would be tragic and it would be disloyal to the both of their families. The nurse also shows disloyalty but this is towards Juliet, she shows this when Juliet turns to the nurse for advice. The nurse replies saying that Juliet should marry the County Paris because ‘he’s a lovely gentleman!’ and that Romeo’s a ‘dishclout to him.’
Juliet finds this heart breaking because she is caught in a downward spiralling of events which are not of her making. Things such as the loss of Tybalt, a close friend and relative and the banishment of Romeo and the fear of that she might never see Romeo again. However when Juliet needs the most support the nurse, her mother and her Father have deserted her and left her in the dark felling betrayed and lost. Juliet then tells the audience out load her thoughts in a monologue. She reveals to us that she will go to the Friar for help but if all else fails she will kill herself. ‘If all else fail, myself have power to die.’
In my opinion the violence and conflict in Romeo and Juliet is a very important aspect of the play but it is not central to the play. There are more aspects of the play that to me are more important than violence and conflict. For example ‘bravery’ shown in Act three scene one where Mercutio and Tybalt fight, and Act three scene five were Juliet risks the fury of her family. However in my opinion the most important aspect of the play is ‘disloyalty’ shown in Act three scene five where Juliet refuses to marry Paris and the idea of Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other is being disloyal to there families throughout the play.
Even though I think that disloyalty is a more important aspect of the play violence and conflict enhances the effectiveness of the play as a whole by bringing into the play tragedy and death mixed with the romance of Romeo and Juliet. This gives the play exciting fight scenes, arguments, romantic love scenes and tragic deaths.
I think that the most dramatic scene that I have studied has to be act three scene five because of the mix of romance between Romeo and Juliet and the new found hatred between Juliet and her father. I found this scene especially good because I found it easy to relate to, because of arguments that happen today within families and the consequences of them.
Then reading and watching though Romeo and Juliet I enjoyed the first scene when I was first introduced to the feud.
‘ABRAM Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
SAMPSON I do bite my thumb, sir.
ABRAM Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?’
I think I remember this the most because at first I did not know what it meant but then I found out and it was an old offence gesture that would have been very offensive in the 16th century.
