Earlier on in the play, Tybalt is still shown as an aggressive character. In Act 1, scene 1, he says; “What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word, As I hate hell, all the Montagues, and thee. Have at thee coward”. The word “hell” has connotations of doom, fire and danger. The word “hell” also contrasts against the word “peace”, but Tybalt compares the two words, to show his passion for fighting with the Montagues.
Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin, is one of the most sensible characters in the play. He is respected amongst both the Montagues and the Capulets as he tends to keep the peace between the two families, choosing to stop fights rather than join in with them. However, Benvolio’s loyalties lie with the Montagues, especially as he tries to look out for Romeo. This is shown near the beginning of the play, when Romeo is infatuated with Rosaline, as Benvolio attempts to distract Romeo from his thoughts to pull him out of his melancholic mood.
In act 3, scene 1; Benvolio seeks compromise and peace when the arguments arise between the two opposing sides. He also foresees the upcoming battle, as he quotes; “The day is hot, the Capels are abroad, and if we meet we shall not scape a brawl”. By describing the day as being “hot”, Benvolio symbolises the tension that later arrives in the scene, as the word “hot” has connotations of danger and aggression.
When Tybalt appears on the scene, he threatens to fight with Mercutio. Benvolio steps in trying to diffuse the fight and quotes; “We talk here in the public haunt of men: Either withdraw unto some private place, or reason coldly of your grievances”. The word “haunt” has connotations of ghosts and death, which can be connected to the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio, which happen later on in the scene. It could also mean that the deaths will “haunt” Romeo, as they stop him from being with Juliet. The word “coldly” is also used in the quote, this contrasts with the word “hot” which Benvolio mentions earlier on in the scene. The word “coldly” could relate to the end of the fighting when Romeo realises what he has done.
Further on in the scene, when Romeo has killed Tybalt, Benvolio quotes; “Romeo, away be gone! The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain. Stand not amazed, the prince will doom thee death, if thou art taken: hence, be gone away!”. This quote confirms that Benvolio tries to look out for Romeo, and doesn’t want him to be killed. Also, alliteration is used in the quote, with the words; “doom” and “death”. D is a harsh sounding letter, which fits in with Benvolio warning Romeo about the consequences of his actions.
Near the end of the scene, the Prince trusts Benvolio to give an account of what happened. By asking Benvolio, this shows that the Prince knows he is a respectable, reliable person, who is more likely to give a true account of the story.
Earlier on in the play, in Act 1, scene 1, Benvolio explains to Lord Montague how the fight between the two families started. He says; “Here were the servants of your adversary, And yours, close fighting ere I did approach: I drew to part them; in the instant came, The fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepared. Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears, he swung about his head and cut the winds, who nothing hurt withal hiss’d him in scorn: While we were interchanging thrusts and blows, came more and more fought on part and part, until the Prince came, who parted either part”. Benvolio calls Tybalt “fiery”, which sums up Tybalt’s whole character. The description Benvolio uses to describe Tybalt swinging his sword above his head is effective, and also personifies the wind. He explains that the winds were so unimpressed with Tybalt that they hissed at him, and this fits in well because the sword would make a hissing sound as it swung through the air. Although Benvolio is telling the truth, he makes fun at Tybalt’s expense, by using the word “part” repeatedly at the end of the quote. This speech represents Benvolio’s character, as it shows us he is a sensible person, who is reliable enough to give a true account of a story. It also tells us that Benvolio’s character does not change, as he is still depicted as a similar character later on in the play.
Mercutio, Romeo’s close friend, is depicted as an aristocratic joker, who is quick witted and can add comedy value to the most intense parts of the play. He also finds Romeo’s romanticised ideas about love tiresome, and tries to convince Romeo to view love as a matter of sexual appetite.
In the beginning of act 3, scene 1, Mercutio takes up his role as the jester, and claims that Benvolio is as much as a quarreller as anyone. As Tybalt arrives on the scene, Mercutio attempts to embarrass Tybalt and challenges him to a fight, but before the fight begins Romeo appears on the scene. However, when Romeo refuses to fight, Mercutio quotes; “O calm, dishonourable, vile submission! Alla stoccata carries it away. Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?”. In the quote, the term “alla stoccata carries it away” is used to show that Mercutio believes Romeo is frightened of fighting with Tybalt. He calls Romeo “dishonourable” because he is annoyed that Romeo will not fight to defend his family. A metaphor is used when Mercutio calls Tybalt a “rat-catcher”, as he later makes fun of Tybalt by calling him “good king of cats”.
Further on in the scene, when Mercutio has been wounded by Tybalt, his character begins to take on a serious role. This is a crucial part of the play, as Mercutio’s change in character and death, changes the play from being a comedy, into a tragedy. As Mercutio realises he is dying, he quotes; “No, ‘tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door; but ‘tis enough, ‘twill serve: ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o’ both your houses! ‘Zounds, a dog, a rat, a cat, to scratch a man to death! A braggart, a rogue, a villain, that fights by the book of arithmetic! Why the devil you came between us? I was hurt under your arm”. Mercutio uses the pun “ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man” to display a brief glimpse of humour before he died, as it could either mean you would find him a serious man, or a dead man. After he states this pun however, his character becomes serious as he curses both the Montagues and the Capulets, by saying; “A plague o’ both your houses!”. This is important, as Mercutio’s curse stays with both the families, leading to the fatal end of Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio also accuses Romeo for his death, when he says “Why the devil you came between us? I was hurt under your arm”. He uses the word “devil”, which has connotations of evil, death and hatred. This can be connected to Mercutio dying and putting the curse onto the families.
Earlier on in the play, we find out that Mercutio is bitter about love and dreams. He appears to find them delusional and destructive, and this is shown in act 1, scene 5, when Mercutio says; “O then I see Queen Mab hath been with you: She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes in no shape bigger than an agate-stone, on the forefinger of an alderman, drawn with a team of little atomi, athwart men’s noses as they lie asleep”. In this quote, Mercutio is telling Romeo that he shouldn’t take notice of his dreams. He refers to Queen Mab, who is supposedly a fairy who drives her chariot across the faces of sleeping people and compels them to experience dreams of wish-fulfilment. Mercutio then also goes on to say; “True, I talk of dreams, Which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy, Which is as thin of substance as the air, And more inconstant than the wind, who wooes, Even now the frozen bosom of the north, And, being anger'd, puffs away from thence, Turning his face to the dew-dropping south”. In this quote, Mercutio is going into detail about dreams having no significant meaning. He uses personification to describe the wind “wooing” the “frozen bosom” of the north, and uses a metaphor to explain that dreams are “the children of an idle brain”. This is effective as it displays a descriptive image of the wind, and helps us to understand what Mercutio’s feelings are towards dreams.
Romeo, one of the main character’s in the play, is portrayed as self-centred, fickle and cautious. Romeo can be a very sentimental and passionate character, but tends to have a pessimistic view towards things. Although Romeo is caught in the middle of a feud between his own family, and the Capulets, he is not interested in violence, as Romeo’s only interest appears to be love. At the beginning of the play, Romeo pines for Rosaline, a girl he believes he is in love with, but whom doesn’t love him back. However, as soon as Romeo sees Juliet, he falls in love with her, thus forgetting completely about Rosaline. This leaves the audience questioning whether Romeo’s love for Juliet is real, but Romeo goes to the extremes to prove the seriousness of his feelings. Romeo’s love for Juliet causes dramatic changes to occur to his character during the play. This obscures any clear vision of Romeo’s character, which is far more complex.
In act 3, scene 1, Romeo’s character changes throughout the scene due to the devastating events that happen. When Romeo first arrives on the scene, he tries to tell Tybalt he loves him, as he is now part of Tybalt’s family. As Tybalt does not know Romeo and Juliet secretly got married, he requests to battle with him. Romeo refuses and quotes; “I do protest I never injured thee, but love thee better than thou canst devise, Till thou shalt know the reason of my love; and so, good Capulet, which name I tender, As dearly as mine own – be satisfied”. In the quote, Romeo attempts to tell Tybalt that until he can reveal the real reason for loving him, he shall have to accept what he says and understand why he doesn’t want to fight. However, when Romeo says this, Mercutio misunderstands the situation and believes Romeo doesn’t want to fight due to cowardice. Therefore, Mercutio battles with Tybalt, and is wounded as a consequence.
Romeo’s character suddenly changes as he becomes infuriated with himself for not battling with Tybalt. When he realises the damage he has caused, he says; “This day's black fate on more days doth depend; This but begins the woe, others must end”. In the quote, Romeo uses colour imagery to describe how he believes the death of Mercutio has doomed the future. By using the words “day’s black fate”, it helps to place an effective image into the audience’s head, as if Romeo is envisioning Mercutio’s death to be a dark thundercloud, filling the sky, ready to bring destruction and chaos to the land. The adjective “black” has connotations of death, which can be used to show that Romeo is foreshadowing the deaths of himself and his lover.
When Tybalt returns to the scene, Romeo, in his fury, kills Tybalt. When Romeo realises what he has done, he says; “O’ I am fortune’s fool!”. This shows Romeo regrets what has happened, as it is unfortunate that the situation turned out so badly.
Earlier on in the play, Romeo’s character is portrayed as being a victim of hopeless love and implacable fate. During act 1, scene 4, Romeo feels melancholic because Rosaline doesn’t take any notice of him, even though he claims to be deeply in love with her. Whilst conversing with Mercutio, Romeo says; “I fear, too early: for my mind misgives, some consequence yet hanging in the stars, shall bitterly begin his fearful date, with this night’s revels and expire the term, of a despised life closed in my breast, by some vile forfeit of untimely death. But he, that hath the steerage of my course, direct my sail! On lusty gentlemen”. This quote shows that Romeo believes in fate, as it quotes “some consequence yet hanging in the stars”. Romeo also shows his religious beliefs by referring to God in the quote by saying; “But He, that hath the steerage of my course”. The quote also foreshadows the rest of the play, by stating that Romeo thinks he will die an “untimely death”.
During the Elizabethan era, the attitudes of an audience watching a Shakespearian play would differ greatly to an audience watching a play in the theatre today. The audience would shout and scream throughout the play, and would even throw food at an actor if they acted badly. There would also be no toilet facilities, so people relieved themselves outside, leaving the surrounding area looking horrible. There was usually no roof covering the audience during a play, so if it rained the audience would get wet, and the performances were often held in the afternoon due to the limited supply of artificial lighting.
Both men and women attended the plays, but often women would wear masks to disguise their identity. The audience would also be divided due to social class, with the Elizabethan public (the commoners), paying 1p to stand at ground level in the pit. The gentry would pay to sit in the galleries, often using cushions for comfort, and the rich nobles would pay 6p to watch the play on a chair set on the side of the stage.
The audience would be expected to use their imagination to envision the scenery of a play. This was due to most performances having very little, or no backgrounds or props. However, because of the lack of scenery, the actors would usually be elaborately dressed in fine Elizabethan clothes.
Elizabethan audiences differ to our modern day audiences because today, we are expected to be quiet during the whole performance. Also, detailed backgrounds and special props are used to make the play seem more realistic and entertaining. The cheap seats in the Elizabethan era were right in front of the stage, which have now become the most expensive seats to book today.
An audience watching act 3, scene 1 of “Romeo and Juliet” would feel captivated and shocked at what happens during this crucial part of the play. Due to dramatic irony being involved in the scene, with the audience knowing that Romeo is married to Juliet, it would make the audience feel the need to shout out to Tybalt what is going on, when he dismisses what Romeo is trying to explain. The audience know that Tybalt and Mercutio misunderstand what Romeo says, and they would feel aggravated that neither of the two characters realise what is going on. This would build up tension within the audience, as they know how everything could have been avoided.
The audience would also feel stunned when they hear Mercutio curse both the families, as they know that the curse is true, as it eventually kills Romeo and Juliet.
Mercutio says the quote; “Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels? An thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but discords: here's my fiddlestick; here's that shall make you dance. 'Zounds, consort!”. A director would inform an actor playing Mercutio to speak the words in a sarcastic tone. He/she would tell the actor to raise the pitch of his or her voice when reciting the last word of each sentence. The actor should also speak the first few lines in an aggressive manner, as if the person speaking before had said something ridiculous. When reciting the lines up to the word “discords”, the actor should say the lines at a fast pace, then for the rest of the quote, they should talk at a slow pace, as if talking to someone of lower intelligence. The actor should also be informed to roll his or her eyes during the lines “dost thou make us minstrels?”, and to place their hands on their hips up to the word “discords”. For when the actor says “here’s my fiddlestick”, the actor should produce a sword, and swing it about, then position themselves ready for battle. When the actor speaks the last word of the quote, he or she should gesture with their hand, in a beckoning motion, for the other people to “bring it on”.
Romeo says the quote; “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee, Doth much excuse the appertaining rage, to such a greeting: villain am I none; Therefore farewell; I see thou know'st me not.” A director would inform the actor playing Romeo to speak the lines in a saddened manner. He/she would tell the actor to speak the words at a slow pace and calmly, as if trying to get through to someone. The actor should almost sigh when they say the line “Therefore farewell; I see thou know’st me not”. He/she should also look directly into the eyes of the actor he or she is speaking to, then look away and almost wave, with a shrug, after saying the word “none”.
Benvolio says the quote; “Romeo, away, be gone! The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain. Stand not amazed: the prince will doom thee death, If thou art taken: hence, be gone, away!” A director would inform the actor playing Benvolio to at first be on his knees, at Tybalt’s side, as if he has just examined the body. As he is kneeling, he should be gesturing with his hands for Romeo to flee, then eventually should get up, when saying the lines “hence, be gone, away!” and attempt to push Romeo away from the scene. The actor should say the words at a fast pace, almost shouting and in a panicked manner.
Act 3 scene 1 of “Romeo and Juliet” would still be exciting for an audience during our modern era, as although the play was written a long time ago, the meaning behind the language used and the effect of involving dramatic irony, would still make the play as thrilling, exciting and as intense as it was during the Elizabethan era.
This is shown as Baz Luhramm managed to create a version of “Romeo and Juliet” which appealed to our modern audience. He set the play in modern day America, but did not alter Shakespeare’s script, still using the old English which was spoken back in the Elizabethan era. This helps the play to relate to a modern day audience, yet it does not lose the magic of the meaning behind Shakespeare’s complex quotes. Baz Luhramm made act 3, scene 1 more thrilling by changing the swords involved in the scene, to guns. This helps to make the scene more intense, as a gun can be more lethal than a sword.
