Romeo then again confuses and angers both Mercutio and Tybalt by backing down from a fight with his fierce rival and former sworn enemy Tybalt, saying that he treasures and loves Tybalt’s name (which he should hate passionately) as much as his own and would never fight him. It was a disgrace in that time to ever back down from a fight and you could sometimes be disowned by family and friends for such a thing, so Mercutio does what he thinks is honourable and takes Romeo’s place in the fight.
Romeo’s happiness soon turns to both anger and despair when Tybalt and Mercutio begin fighting. The stage lighting will now have changed from the light cheerful colour of Romeo running to tell his friends his exciting news to possibly and orange colour for the heat imagery of Tybalt trying to start a fight with Romeo, and now possibly to red to portray he blind angers of the two men partaking in the violence. In an attempt to stop Mercutio from getting hurt Romeo intervenes and Tybalt stabs Mercutio from behind. Romeo is furious and hell bent on revenge and to kill Tybalt.
Mercutio’s last words “a plague o’ both your houses” shows that he blames Romeo just as much as Tybalt for his imminent death as he was killed “under your (Romeo’s) arm” This means that if Romeo had not
tried to help Mercutio would probably still be fighting and would not be dead.
When Romeo enters, its is important that he does not know that Tybalt wants a fight with him because if he did he most probably would have avoided him, so rather than being ready for a fight or apprehensive about meeting Tybalt, Romeo greets him with happiness and exclaims that he loves Tybalts name (family) as dearly as his own, this heightens the tempo of the scene immediately as it is quickly made clear that a fight will ensue and within minutes Mercutio is dead.
After Romeo kills Tybalt, his statement “Oh, I am fortunes fool” is extremely important as it reintroduces the theme of fate, luck and destiny as he is basically saying that he is fated to be unlucky, the audience now suspects and probably knows that something serious is going to happen and that the performance is about to take another twist and that Romeo and Juliet’s marriage may b cut to an abrupt end
Romeo’s punishment of banishment is highly ironic and upsetting for him at the time as because he has just married Juliet they need to copulate otherwise there wedding will not be official and if Romeo Is banished he will obviously not be able to fulfil this requirement. Also some may find Romeo’s punishment unfair as if he had not killed Tybalt, then Tybalt would have received the death penalty so he was doing the work of the law.
In my opinion Act 3: 1 is the most pivotal scene because it sparks a chain of events which ultimately leads to the suicide of Romeo and Juliet and begins the tragedy element of the play, the happiness of the play is now completely passed after the wedding and the plot goes in a downward spiral for Romeo and Juliet. (It is also ironic that Romeo came t fight as he had before stated that Juliet had made him effeminate.)
