Only the supreme authority in the land can control the situation. He warns both households “If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.”
The scene suggests that the conflict between war and peace is fundamental within man, and ends quietly emphasising this contrast. The theme of love is introduced by Romeo. Shakespeare carefully balances situations like this within scenes to engage his audience and present love against a background of conflict.
Act 3, scene 1 opens with Benvolio and Mercutio in the streets of Verona. It is a hot day and Benvolio speaks of the trouble, which could occur because of this. “And if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl, for now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.”
The heat of the day and Benvolio’s worry that more violence will break out creates tension. Mercutio is in a playful mood and baits Benvolio, “Thou art like one of these fellows that, when he enters the confines of a tavern, claps me his sword upon the table and says, ‘God send me no need of thee’…”
But the audience is made expectant – knowing the Capulets are about and Tybalt has challenged Romeo.
When Tybalt approaches them, hoping to find Romeo, Mercutio still in a quarrelsome mood provokes Tybalt. “And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something; make it a word and a blow.” Tybalt wants his quarry so does not fight so Mercutio continues to provoke him. He draws his sword and claims it will be “the fiddlestick” to which Tybalt “will dance”. There is a sense that once again the tension is building towards violence despite Benvolio’s efforts to calm things down between them, take their fight off the streets, “Either withdraw into some private place…” and out of the public eye “Or else depart; here all eyes gaze on us.”
Mercutio, however, is determined “I will not budge for no man’s pleasure, I.” Romeo’s entrance at this point creates increases the tension as Tybalt now makes it clear whom he wishes to fight with “…here comes my man.” Romeo, just coming from his marriage to Juliet, offers friendship, which Tybalt rejects.
“Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain.” This suggests that love will not be able to overcome the conflict or violence. Romeo’s response is expected to those who watch, “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting…”
Honour was very important to Elizabethan society so an audience would have been shocked as Romeo was at his failure to draw. Mercutio, outraged, “O calm dishonourable vile submission” draws his sword, provoking Tybalt. A fight breaks out, which Tybalt accepts. Desperately trying to stop the fight, Romeo comes between the duel, at which point Mercutio is stabbed in the heart. This short action filled scene provides the turning point in the play. The violence here is relieved by Mercutio’s humour, and the fighting is briefly stopped as he jokes with bitter irony “Ay, ay, a scratch; marry, ‘tis enough…” Reality though, intrudes into his jokes as he dies, and he realises that neither the Montague nor the Capulet households were worth dying for. He curses both families “A plague o’ both your houses! I am sped…” At this point the audience pities Romeo – there is no hope he can survive now.
Romeo blinded by the rage he feels of Mercutio’s death, challenges Tybalt, and they fight. He kills Tybalt. Romeo lets family loyalty take precedence over love here as honour demands revenge. Benvolio warns him to leave immediately – reminding him of the Prince’s threat. Only after the death does Romeo realise that tragedy is inevitable “O, I am Fortune’s fool.”
Shakespeare has ended this scene like before with a speech from the Prince. Again Shakespeare provides a contrast as Prince Escalus’ wields power over life and death. Romeo’s banishment from Verona only postpones his death to come. With even two deaths the violence is out of control and hurtling towards the final scene.
The Prince, Capulet, Mountague and their wives enter the scene. The Prince demands to know who started the fights, and Benvolio answers, mainly pointing the blame at Tybalt. Lady Capulet weeps and tries to defend Tybalt, accusing the Mountague’s of ganging up and out numbering him. She exclaims that Romeo should pay with his life for what he has done. The Prince, however, sees Mercutio’s death as revenge enough. In order to keep peace, he fines both families heavily to make them very sorry for the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt. He also banishes Romeo from Verona, and orders Tybalt’s body to be carried away.
This scene is important because true feelings of the characters are revealed through the reality of the consequences of the killings. Ending again with a speech from the Prince, this scene is similar to the first violent scene. The Prince continues to warn, threaten and punish the two families, but still they carry on fighting, provoking and feeling hatred towards one another. A death in each household could not even clear the grudge, or help them to realise the truth Mercutio came to see about the whole situation. Romeo and Juliet’s love for one another seems highly dangerous now that Romeo is banished, making it harder and more risky for them to meet up and be together. Extreme measures seem now an option for them to start taking in order for them to have a happy marriage and life together, as peace making did not work at all and now probably never will between the two households.
The fourth and final violent scene is the one in which Romeo, Juliet and Paris die (Act 5, scene 3). Both themes of love and violence are expressed together, making this scene as exciting ending to the play.
Paris enters with his page, bearing flowers and a torch. It is the night and Paris has come to the churchyard where Juliet is buried. In reaching Juliet’s tomb, Paris wishes to be alone. He says to his page;
“Give me thy torch, boy. Hence, and stand aloof.”
He seems to want to be alone with his thoughts of Juliet, so gives instructions to his page to stand guard and to warn him if someone is to approach;
“Yet put it out, for I would not be seen… Whistle then to me as signal that thou hear’st some thing approach. Give me those flowers. Do as I bid thee; go.”
Shakespeare needed Paris to be alone, as for what he has planned in the playwright for him next. The page leaves, and Paris is now left alone. He starts to scatter flowers over Juliet’s grave, and speaks to her. He talks of a promise to sprinkle her grave with perfume every night, or if not with that then with his tears. He grieves over her death, but is interrupted as the page whistles;
“The boy gives warning something doth approach.”
He moves aside, into the darkness. Romeo then enters, accompanied by his servant, Balthasar bearing a torch, a mattock and a crow of iron (crowbar). Romeo, in a hurry, asks for the mattock and wrenching iron. He pauses though, and remembers to give a letter to Balthasar to deliver to his father the following morning;
“Hold, take this letter. Early in the morning, see thou deliver it to my lord and father.”
He wishes to be alone, explaining to Balthasar that he must take a ring from Juliet. He also threatens him to not be suspicious;
“But if thou, jealous, dost return to pry, in what I father shall intend to do, by heaven, I will tear thee joint by joint, and strew this hungry churchyard with thy limbs.”
Balthasar replies;
“I will be gone, sir, and not trouble ye.”
Romeo gives him some money, and bids him farewell. Balthasar then says, aside to himself;
“For all this same, I’ll hide me hereabout; his looks I fear, and his intents I doubt.”
He fears he will not see Romeo again, and fears for him. He doubts Romeo’s true intentions, and is right to. He hides.
Romeo starts to through insults at the tomb, referring to it as;
“Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death…”
And calls Juliet;
“…the dearest morsel of the earth…”
He begins to open the tomb. Paris, still hiding, can see Romeo and identifies him as;
“that banished haughty Mountague…”
He believes that Juliet had died in grief over the death of Tybalt, therefore blaming Romeo;
“…that murdered my love’s cousin – with which grief it is supposed the fair creature died –“
Thinking that Romeo has come to the tomb to continue the fued with the Capulets, Paris emerges from the darkness, determined to make a citizen’s arrest;
“Stop thy unhallowed toil, vile Mountague! – Obey, and go with me, for thou must die.”
Romeo answers, and then tries as best he can to make Paris leave peacefully;
“Good gentle youth, tempt not a desperate man. Fly hence and leave me…”
Paris again attempts the citizen’s arrest, none of what Romeo has said working on him. Romeo, wanting only to be left alone with Juliet, attacks him as his patience falls;
“Wilt thou provoke me? Then have at thee, boy!”
Paris’ page, alarmed by the fight, goes off to call the watch. The fight ends quickly, Paris has been slain. His dying words are a plea to his killer, Romeo, to be lain in the tomd with Juliet;
“Oh, I am slain! If thou be merciful, open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.”
Surprisingly, Romeo says he will;
“In faith, I will.”
He takes Paris’ body to the grave, opening it he says;
“I bury thee in a triumphant grave.”
He then does not wish to address where Juliet lies a grave;
“A grave? O no! – a lanthorn, slaughtered youth: for here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence full of light.”
He lays Paris within the tomb. Romeo then speaks of Juliet – how death has not taken her beauty, and of Tybalt – he makes his peace with him, asking for forgiveness. He speaks of his own death, promising Juliet he will lay to rest with her;
“Here, here will I remain, with worms that are thy chambermaids. O, here will I set up my everlasting rest…”
He bids farewell to his life;
“Eyes, look at your last; arms, take your last embrace; and lips, O you, the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing Death.”
Then, exclaiming;
“Here’s to my love.”
Romeo drinks the poison, and quickly feels it taking his life away;
“O true apothecary: thy drugs are quick.”
In his last moment of life, Romeo says;
“Thus with a kiss I die.”
He kisses Juliet, and then dies.
Friar Laurence appears in the churchyard, hears something, and Balthasar comes out of the darkness. Balthasar tells Friar Laurence, in answer to his question, that Romeo is in the tomb, and has been there for half an hour. He enters the tomb to find Romeo and Paris dead, and Juliet awakening. As she begins to arise from her sleep, she speaks of Romeo and is expectant of him. She does not yet realise he is dead;
“O comfortable friar, where is my lord? I do remember well where I should be: And there I am. Where is my Romeo?”
Friar Laurence explains to her what has happened, and urges her to leave the tomb with him quickly as the watch was coming. She does not wish to leave;
“Go, thee hence, for I will not away.”
Friar Laurence leaves, and Juliet finds Romeo’s poison. There is none left and it now clear that Juliet wants to end her life also. She kisses his lips, hoping there would still be some poison left on them. There is not. The page then enters with the watch, and she is running out of time. She takes Romeo’s dagger in her hands and stabs herself, her last words being;
“Yea, noise? Then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger, this is thy sheath; there rest, and let me die.”
Juliet dies.
Paris’ page leads the watchmen into the tomb. One of the watchmen becomes suspicious in seeing Juliet’s freshly slain body, and orders some of his men to notify Prince Escalus, the Capulets and Mountagues. Others are sent to search the churchyard, and return with Balthasar and Friar Laurence. The Prince arrives, followed by Capulet and his wife.
