Why is Act 3, Scene 1 a turning point in Romeo and Juliet?

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Why is Act 3, Scene 1 a turning point in Romeo and Juliet?

‘O Romeo, Romeo. Brave Mercutio’s dead!’ shouts Benvolio in despair, informing Romeo that Mercutio had become the first fatality in a scene which shows that it is the heart of the play, and a main turning point in Shakespeare’s first tragedy. Leading to Romeo’s vengeance and eviction. This act exaggerates a twist of moments and is at the brink of Romeo and Juliet. This is what makes Romeo and Juliet one of the Shakespeare’s famous quartet of tragedies.

Act 3, scene 1 has the most powerful and exiting words in the play. It contains the passionate and explosive words of Mercutio and the calming phrases of Benvolio. The Language itself is a combination of wit, humor, wordplay, prose, curses and more. Benvolio starts the scene nervously and anxiously with pathetic fallacy, ‘the day is hot and Capulets abroad,’ speaking to Mercutio in blank verse. Mercutio then replies with no respect speaking in prose using wit and riddles to wind up Benvolio. Benvolio’s quarto echoes his speech in Act 1, Scene 1. As Tybalt enters, the language changes from random talk of nothingness and dreams to antagonizing wit and bawdy humor. The scene could easily be a comedy or a romance if it wasn’t for what comes up next in this scene. As the first person becomes a victim in a brawl of both fighting and of extremities of language, this is what contributes to the scene being the turning point in the play. This play may a battle between 2 families to get rid of each other, but it is also a battle of wittiness and how smart you are. Romeo and Tybalt fight with words in Act 3, Scene 1 as Tybalt and Romeo argue in uneven 11 syllables Romeo then performs a classic caesura to get one better than him. The context of the speech and language is meaningful, and the way in which the line is read or understood by the audience can change it in many ways.

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The structure of Act 3, scene 1 is important to how it is a turning point in the play as whole. It plays a role of increased tension and excitement. The scene is arguably split up into 6 sections. The first in which is ‘Tybalt enters’ and contains a number of 33 lines, it is quite long because Mercutio and Tybalt banter to each to each other with wit. This builds tension a little bit as it reflects back to the very beginning of the play where Benvolio and Mercutio have a conversation that if the Capulets arrive they ...

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