Dines Selvarajah
Essay Title: How does Shakespeare use dramatic devices in Act 3 Scene 1 of ‘Romeo and Juliet` in order to make it an exciting scene and a turning point in the play?
Romeo and Juliet is an exciting play because, it begins with a public brawl between two families called Capulet’s and Montague’s. The scene grabs the audience’s attention, it is very lively and unpredictable, and it almost makes you jump of your seat. Act 3 scene 1 echoes the theme of hatred and violence amongst the families. It is also exhilarating and moving because, it has an energetic feeling, you can anticipate something bad might happen. The fighting scene sets an aggressive atmosphere, which may shock most readers. It almost makes your speechless and static as you are drawn into the scene, which creates a climax that gradually unfolds the turning point of the play .The two directors Baz Luhrmann (old version) and Franco Zeffirelli (new version) have interpreted the scene differently as where Baz Luhrmann has made it as Mercutio was killed by accident, in Franco Zeffirelli we know he was killed straight away by the gun shot. In Baz Luhrmann’s version dramatic irony was used as a close up of Tybalt’s sword was shown with the blood so we all knew Mercutio was dying while the characters thought it was all a joke until Mercutio was dead.
At the beginning of the scene the atmosphere was soft and still but had huge senses of hurdles to overcome. Benvolio’s continuous concern over the actions of Mercutio and it is first shown when he hears of the Capulet’s arriving and then asks Mercutio to leave so no trouble could be caused. Mercutio then describes what type of man Benvolio is and what Mercutio is not as when he needs to defend himself and fight he does whereas Benvolio is always scared. Mercutio then says how nothing will happen and makes quotes such as “thou hast quarreled with a man for coughing on the street, because he has wakened thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun”. Benvolio replies “And I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man should buy the fee-simple of my life for an hour and a quarter”. By this it is meant that if one was like Mercutio and did not concern and was always as quarrelsome as him, they would then not last an hour and a quarter. This is basically Benvolio forecasting Mercutio's death without knowing it. Then as the Capulet’s arrive Benvolio’s concern grows more and more. Tension starts when Benvolio says “By my head, here comes the Capulets”. Typical Mercutio shows no concern about this and as Tybalt asks for a word with one of them (Benvolio or Mercutio) Mercutio replies in a quarrelsome manner saying, “make it a word and a blow”. Tension is raised by this and also Tybalt’s men surrounding him raise tension as they react in a childish manner making sounds as if Tybalt should retaliate. Tybalt then shows he is not afraid by saying “You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, and you will give me occasion”. This then gets the audience’s attention and the dramatic devices of the characters behind Tybalt also create a tense severe situation in the play. Tybalt then says he “consorts” with Romeo. Mercutio then plays with Tybalt’s words to make it seem as if he was calling them “minstrels”. Mercutio then replies in a quarrelsome manner saying “Here is my fiddlestick, heres that shall make you dance, zounds consort!” with Mercutio’s reply came the reaction of the surrounding characters. At this moment Tybalt would be offended and also would feel disrespected. By the characters reactions the audience can sense nothing but tension and a severe ending to this quarrel. The tension is raised even more as Benvolio steps in to say we are in the public let’s not do this. He also reminds them all of the prince’s threats if one more of these quarrels in his town took place.
