Comparably in act 1 scene 1 Sampson is shown to increase the tension in the play as he talks about killing and being cruel to the Montagues, the quote to present this is ‘when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids, and cut off their heads.’ the words ‘cut of their heads’ increases the tension and makes the audience sense that an aggressive fight will take place. Later on in the play Sampson is shown to provoke the Montagues to a fight by using profanity and disgracing them, the evidence for this is ‘I will bite my thumb at them; which is disgrace to them, if they bear it’ the words ‘if they bear it’ suggest that Sampson is seeking a reaction of the Montagues, which could possibly result as a fight. Shakespeare has deliberately done this to make the audience eager to find out what is going to happen next and also in that period of time biting your thumb at other people would be a big insult. Shakespeare has firstly shown violence through words which can be seen at the start at of act 1 scene 1 where the servants from both houses mock and taunt each other, next Shakespeare converts the verbal violence into physical violence where the servants use profanity to insult each other by biting their thumb at each other. Shakespeare has deliberately done this to show each stage of violence gradually build and at this point the audience get an indication that next violence may be shown through death.
As well as showing the families insulting and mocking each other directly Shakespeare has shown the characters to use false politeness in which they address each other in polite remarks however they are indirectly mocking the status of one another. As status was very important in that era of history Shakespeare has caused violence and increased the tension by showing the characters use satire as a way of mocking each others status. This can be seen in act 1 scene 1 when the servants from both families are shown to state each other as ‘sir’ which is ironic because they are servants and are addressing each other as ‘sir’ which is used to address men of authority and status furthermore this is showing how the servants are using sarcasm to mock the status of each other as they are not actually being polite. Also, the structure of this scene is short, sharp and fast, this technique is deliberately used to build tension and adrenaline is causing the servants to react fast evidently making the tension rise. Shakespeare has tactfully done this to add an underlying tension to all the mockery and taunting that is being presented.
Likewise in act 3 scene 1 Tybalt is also shown to mock the status of the Montagues by saying ‘Gentlemen, good den’ the word ‘gentlemen’ is usually used when addressing someone politely however in this case it is shown to be taunting the status of the Montagues. Next Tybalt says ‘A word with one of you’ the word ‘you’ is formal and would not be expected to be used in that period of time by someone who is addressing someone they are against, however it is again showing mockery.
Benvolio is shown in act 1 scene 1 to enter addressing the servants as ‘fools!’ which gives the audience an impression that the servants are stupid and also make the audience think of the servants as ‘jesters’ which indicate that they are entertainers. This suggests that Benvolio is being sardonic towards their status as they are lower than him, further suggesting that Benvolio may have pride in his authority and status. The fact that Benvolio is being sardonic and insulting them could possibly mean that some sign of violence may erupt. The violence can be visually seen to be put to a halt by the audience as the character playing Benvolio should be seen to enter right in the middle of the stage, separating the servants by saying ‘Part fools!, Put up your swords; you do not know what you do’ this on stage should show the stage visually split in half giving the audience the indication that Benvolio is a peaceful character and also the audience should see the grudge between the families visually as they are standing opposite each other.
On the other hand Mercutio is shown to mock and taunt others by using puns and cleverly phrasing words to mock others. Shakespeare has deliberately given Mercutio these characteristics because it entertains the audience and also increases the conflict because as Mercutio uses puns and words to mock others, an underlying tension is caused as to what the reaction will be of the person he is mocking. In act 3 scene 1 Mercutio says ‘… make it a word and a blow’ as well as the sense that he is provoking Tybalt to fight, Mercutio has used a pun which refers to sexual imagery causing the audience to laugh however there is an underlying tension as to how Tybalt will react. Furthermore the tension also builds due to the fact that Mercutio’s mood changes rapidly so if the person he is mocking says something which is disgracing Mercutio then Mercutio may suddenly become violent.
Adding onto this point the audience first meet the character Tybalt in act 1 scene 1 and immediately the audience perceive the fact that the character of Tybalt is averse to the Montagues this is instantly recognisable as Tybalt calls the servants ‘heartless hinds’ which was a big insult in that period of time especially the fact that the Montagues of such a high status are being addressed as ‘dogs’. Also alliteration of the letter ‘h’ is used on ‘heartless hinds’, creating a hissing sound when spoken on stage, resembling the hissing of a snake which further denotes a devilish and evil feeling, creating a negative impact on the audience. Adding on, the words ‘heartless hinds’ create a low guttural sound when spoken which automatically shows the audience the villain in the character Tybalt. Visually, on stage Tybalt would be seen entering and squaring up to Benvolio evidently increasing the tension as the audience know that a fight may take place. Tybalt also says ‘Benvolio, look upon thy death’ here Tybalt is portrayed to be sarcastic and is telling Benvolio to look at him as he is going to kill him. Furthermore it is shown that Tybalt is full of hatred, the quote suggesting this is ‘I hate the word, As I hate hell,’ the fact that repetition of the word ‘hate’ is used emphasizes the hate engrossed within Tybalt. The fact that Tybalt hates peace shows that he is an anti-social character and gives the audience an impression that Tybalt is most likely to cause a fight. Adding on Tybalt shows more hatred and also provokes the Montagues by addressing Benvolio as ‘coward!’ which is a big insult to Benvolio as he is of a high status this insult leads the audience with curiosity as they are eager to find out what happens next.
Furthermore Tybalt insults the status of both Romeo and Mercutio in act 3 scene 1 by saying ‘Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo’ firstly Tybalt is shown to address Mercutio using the word ‘thou’ which is informal and is a less respectful word to use when addressing Mercutio and especially Romeo as he is the son of Lord Montague. Secondly the word ‘consortest’ refers to a group of hired musicians which is an affront remark because contextually the status of Romeo is high and being addressed someone who is ‘hired’ would have been a huge insult. This insult increases the tension within the audience as they know that Mercutio loves Romeo as they are best friends so for Tybalt to insult Romeo would not be tolerated by Mercutio, the audience are also aware of the fact that the personality of Mercutio is shown to change rapidly and is very unpredictable consequently increasing the tension within the audience. It can also be seen that Tybalt usually calls Mercutio ‘you’ however when he talks about consorting he changes it to ‘thou’ which is less respectful. Shakespeare has again used status as a key element for the families to taunt each other on; this has deliberately been done because at that time the audience would know the significance of status. Also due to this point the conflict and tension will rise as the audience wait for the reaction of Mercutio.
Next Mercutio is shown to use his ability to cleverly turn words around and answer back by saying ‘consort? What, dost thou make us minstrels?’ here Mercutio is saying to Tybalt that do you make us entertainers? is that what you think of us? At this point the tension and the conflict of the play rises as the audience perceive the fact that a fight may emerge. Mercutio then follows on by saying ‘Here’s my fiddlestick; here’s that shall make you dance.’ in this line Mercutio is again shown to use a pun by taking the idea of musicians and entertainers and using the word ‘dance’. Mercutio is talking about using his sword and fighting with Tybalt moreover, the idea of making Tybalt ‘dance’ while fighting is showing Mercutio say that he is a better swordsman than Tybalt which is mocking Tybalt because he is believed to be a talented duellist. To further increase the tension Mercutio says ‘Zounds, consort!’ which shows the use of profanity towards Tybalt. These lines automatically create a scene filled with tension as the audience know that Mercutio has provoked Tybalt to a fight and has also used profanity to disgrace Tybalt, at this point the audience know that violence is most likely to occur.
Comparably in act 1 scene 1, violence erupts as the citizens of Verona join the fight, the words ‘strike! beat them down! ’ are used, these are words of violence which make the scene more effective resulting in making the audience more tensed. Relating back to the prologue the words ‘ancient grudge break to new mutiny’ are related to this scene because it can be seen that an old grudge has now evolved into a big fight involving not only the Montagues and Capulets but the citizens of Verona, this also relates back to the prologue to the line ‘civil blood makes civil hands unclean’ which further suggests that the audience are aware that this is a serious fight; due to this fact the tension builds as to what the consequence of the feud will be. Towards the end of the scene the Prince enters putting a stop to the fight however, even though the fight is being stopped, there is the continuance of underlying tension, the cause for the tension is the curiosity that remains due to the fact that the Prince is seen to say to the Montagues and Capulets: ‘if ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.’ This creates curiosity within the audience as they want to see if the Montagues and Capulets will fight again and what the consequences will be. Will the Prince really kill the Capulets and Montagues for fighting again?
This scene relates to act 3 scene 1 where Benvolio says ‘We talk here in the public haunt of men’ this reminds the audience again of the Prince’s warning given in act 1 scene 1 where he said ‘if you ever disturb our streets again, Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace’ Benvolio reminds Tybalt and Mercutio that if they get caught fighting again then they will be executed. This increases the tension because the audience are aware of the consequence the Montagues and Capulets will face if they get caught also, the audience do not know if Mercutio is aware of the warning given by the Prince. This creates tension because Mercutio may not be aware of the consequence they will face if they get caught fighting and due to Mercutio’s uncaring personality the tension increases among the audience because they know Mercutio may continue fighting and more violence may occur afterwards.
The mocking continues in act 3 scene 1 as Tybalt is shown to address Romeo as ‘my man’ which is an insult to Romeo’s status because he is the son of Lord Montague and Tybalt is the nephew of Lord Capulet so according to status Romeo is of a higher status moreover, this shows that by Tybalt calling Romeo ‘my man’ Tybalt is bringing Romeo’s status below him by using a possessive determine. Shakespeare has deliberately done this in order to increase the conflict because the audience expect a reaction from Romeo or his friend Mercutio for the insult that has been given by Tybalt.
Mercutio further increases the tension by using the word ‘livery’ which was the uniform worn by servants. Mercutio interprets Tybalt’s use of the word ‘my man’ as ‘my servant’, and says that I will die before he wears your uniform this is shown where Mercutio says ‘But I’ll be hang’d, sir, if he wear your livery.’ In the following two lines Mercutio expands on this idea by saying that the only way Romeo could be considered Tybalt’s ‘servant’ is if Tybalt went into the ‘field’ (battlefield) and in that case Romeo would follow him as his opponent. This increases the conflict as now the audience are aware that Mercutio is provoking Tybalt to have a fight with Romeo.
Next Shakespeare has again portrayed status as the cause for violence; this has been done by Tybalt firstly being heavily sarcastic by saying
‘Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford’ which again shows how Tybalt is being sardonic towards Romeo who is of a higher status than Tybalt. Secondly Tybalt says ‘No better term than this: thou art a villain.’ historically in that time for a Lord’s son to be called a ‘villain’ would be a huge insult adding on this increases the conflict and tension as the audience in that period of time would have exactly known how insulting it meant for someone to be called a villain and specifically a person of such a high status.
Furthermore Shakespeare has used dramatic irony in order to raise tension among the audience causing them to be inquisitive as to what happens next. Dramatic irony is used when Romeo says ‘Tybalt, the reason that I have love to thee’ here Romeo is saying to Tybalt that he actually has some affection towards him, at this point the tension among the audience builds as they are aware of the fact that Romeo has just married Juliet and that is the reason for his affection towards Tybalt as he Juliet’s cousin but nor Tybalt or Mercutio are aware of this fact. In that era of time technology was not too advanced and there would have not been special effects or lighting to entertain the audience so Shakespeare has used dramatic irony as a way of entertaining the audience and keeping them keen to find out what happens next, along with building the conflict on stage.
The prince is shown to deliver a speech at the end of act 1 scene 1, in this speech a line with a strong metaphor is used ‘purple fountains issuing from your veins’ in this line violence and hatred is shown by the idea of ‘purple blood’ this is talking about how the veins carry blood without oxygen and is considered to be cold blood without life and emotions; this indicates that the Prince is saying that the citizens and both families have no emotions in them which is why they are fighting with each other. The fact that the blood is ‘issuing’ creates an image that the blood is ‘spraying’ out of the veins which further relates to how the blood is spraying not only on the feuding families but onto everyone in the city of Verona which further relates back to the prologue to the line ‘civil blood makes civil hands unclean’.
Mercutio uses puns as a way of taunting Tybalt’s sobriquet (King of Cats) he does this by saying ‘Tybalt, you ratcatcher’ the word ‘ratcatcher’ shows how Mercutio uses a pun to ridicule Tybalt’s sobriquet ‘King of Cats’ because a cat catches rats. In addition Mercutio uses another pun by saying ‘Good King of Cats, nothing but one of your nine lives, That I mean to make bold withal, and, as you shall use me hereafter dry-beat the rest of the eight’ here Mercutio is mocking Tybalt by referring to the idea of a cat having nine lives and Mercutio is saying he will take one of Tybalt’s nine lives and beat the rest of the eight lives out of him. This indicates a sign of violence displayed by Mercutio towards Tybalt. The sign of violence exhibited further increases as Mercutio says ‘Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out.’ this line clearly shows how Mercutio is thinking of fighting and is provoking Tybalt to fight.
Following on, Romeo reminds Tybalt and Mercutio of the warning received from the Prince this is shown where Romeo says ‘Tybalt, Mercutio, the Prince expressly hath, Forbid this bandying in Verona streets’. However as Romeo tries to stop the fight, the atmosphere of the scene suddenly changes as Mercutio says ‘I am hurt’ although just three words have been said the impact on the audience is huge as they know that the character of Mercutio is lively and is humorous due to the puns Mercutio is shown to make also Mercutio gives long speeches however, when shown just to say ‘I am hurt’ reveals the fact that something is wrong and Mercutio is really hurt. This fact is further emphasized by the line ‘A plague o’ both your houses!’ which clearly exhibits the fact that Mercutio has been hurt as he is giving a curse to both the Capulets and the Montagues furthermore relating to historical context at that time many people were dying due to the black death in addition to this, Mercutio could also be using a pun because the black death was related to rats and Mercutio could be mocking Tybalt again by relating it with his sobriquet and how a cat catches rats. Also at that time audience would go to church and be heavily religious so they would immediately relate the plague to the biblical reference which would cause great intensity. By knowing this the audience would believe that Mercutio’s curse will come true and at this point there would be tension among the audience. Next acting to character Mercutio uses another pun and says ‘Ay, Ay, a scratch, a scratch’ which further ridicules the King of Cats (Tybalt) at this point the audience may laugh at the pun made however the next line said by Mercutio rapidly changes the mood as Mercutio says the word ‘tis enough’ which immediately shows the audience that Mercutio knows that the wound is enough to kill him.
Next Shakespeare has again shown the personality of Mercutio as Mercutio makes another pun firstly he says ‘tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door; but ‘tis enough. ‘twill serve’ here Mercutio laughs at his own wound and says it is not so deep as a well or as wide as a church but it is enough to kill him. Secondly Mercutio says ‘Ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man.’ the words ‘grave man’ have a double meaning as it can mean a serious man who doesn’t pun and also it can mean a dead man. As Mercutio is dying he puns about dying and not punning anymore. In addition Mercutio again says ‘A plague o’ both your houses!’ this has a huge impact on the audience as they know that this is the second time Mercutio has given this curse, relating back to historical context, at that time people were superstitious and believed that if you say something three times then it is likely that it will come true, so at this point where Mercutio says ‘A plague o’ both your houses!’ for the second time, the tension is so adequate as the audience know that if Mercutio gives the curse one more time then it will come true. The final time Mercutio is shown to use words to mock the King of Cats is where he says ‘a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat, to scratch a man to death!’ these words are again associated with a cat, mocking Tybalt again. Mercutio is portrayed to be out of character this is shown when Mercutio says ‘Help me into some house, Benvolio,’ here the dominating, brave character Mercutio is seen asking for ‘help’ also the audience perceive the idea that Mercutio did not ask Romeo for help which increases the hurt and anger within Romeo as his best friend did not ask him for help. Finally Mercutio says the curse the third time ending the curiosity among the audience however causing further tension as now the audience are reminded of the tragedy that was spoken of in the prologue in the line ‘The fearful passage of their death-marked love’ and how that line was foreseeing this moment. Just before Mercutio leaves the stage he leaves the audience with a very strong line using strong imagery to give the audience a visual sense of how Mercutio has been wounded, this has been done by the words ‘They have made worms meat of me.’ which immediately gives the audience a gory image in their mind. Shakespeare has used this line with strong imagery to show the violence of Mercutio’s death because he is indicating how maggots will eat Mercutio’s body after he has died furthermore showing how even after death, pain can not be left behind.
Next Benvolio appears on stage telling Romeo of Mercutio’s death. Shakespeare has deliberately shown Mercutio to die off stage because he wanted to portray Mercutio as a dishonourable character who does not deserve the importance to die on stage. Also this may have been done to show the physical separation between Romeo and Mercutio. Another possibility may be to give the message to the audience that death comes silently. Lastly if Mercutio was shown to die on stage it would create a scene of mourning so because he died off stage it would allow the continuance of violence.
The next scene changes as Tybalt is seen to enter and Romeo is shown to have recovered from the shock of Mercutio’s death which has changed from pain to anger. Romeo says ‘And fire-ey’d fury be my conduct now!’ firstly the negativity can be heard by the audience by the alliteration used on the letter ‘f’ as it creates an angry sound reverberating in action. Also it can be seen that Tybalt foreshadowed the fire and anger of Romeo at the start of the scene where he says ‘mad blood stirring’ and how anger will be caused if the two families meet. Romeo is shown to challenge Tybalt to a fight by saying ‘Either thou or I, or both, must go with him.’ here Romeo is saying to Tybalt that you will die or I will die or we’ll both die. The audience are aware that violence will arise, along with this fact the audience know that if a fight does occur and no one dies the Prince will kill them anyway as a result of their actions.
Tybalt is shown to continue insulting Romeo’s status as he addresses him by using the word ‘boy’ this is an insult towards Romeo because a boy would be considered as young and immature and in that period of time for a person of such a high status to be addressed as a boy would have been an insult towards their reputation. At the end of the scene Tybalt is killed by Romeo and the audience know that now Romeo will be executed by the Prince for fighting.
There are many themes in the play as well as love. A big theme which remains consistent throughout the play is the idea of fate and the idea of how we are not in control of our lives everything is controlled by fate. The theme of fate is portrayed directly right at the start in the prologue where it says ‘A pair of star-crossed lovers’ and also where it says ‘death-marked love,’ the use of foreshadowing in the prologue is used to assure the existence of an omnipresence that emphasizes the theme of fate. Adding on, the fact that it says ‘death-marked love’ indicates the fact that the fate of Romeo and Juliet is already cursed and marked badly. Furthermore when it says ‘star-crossed lovers’ it indicates that the destiny of Romeo and Juliet has been written in the stars. Also in act 3 scene 1 where Mercutio says ‘A plague o’ both your houses’ this also relates with destiny because it is superstitious in nature. Secondly Romeo says ‘This day’s black fate on moe days doth depend;’ this line also uses the idea of fate and how black fate will hang over more days in the future. Romeo also says ‘O, I am fortune’s fool!’ the fact that Romeo is ‘fortune’s fool’ conveys the fact that fate is laughing at Romeo, this idea is indicated by the word ‘fool’ which in historical context meant an entertainer so the fact that Romeo says ‘I am fortune’s fool!’ shows that fate is described to play with Romeo and wants Romeo to entertain it. Overall Shakespeare has made fate a key factor of the play, this has been done because in that period of time people believed in destiny and fate so in order to give the play a sense of reality Shakespeare has put in a significance of fate and destiny.
Another theme of the play is that innocent people who have nothing to do with the grudge are fighting among themselves and as a result have to give up their lives, this links with the prologue to the line ‘civil blood makes civil hands unclean’ which is saying how the civilians of Verona are becoming involved within the grudge even though they do not belong to the feuding families. Also it shows how young lovers have to give up their lives as a result of belonging to the feuding families this is also stated in the prologue by the line ‘A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;’
As well as the characters physically shown to fight, Shakespeare has incorporated a verbal battle among the characters. In the first scene the verbal argument is shown between Sampson, Abraham and Gregory. Similarly in act 3 scene 1 the verbal battle is between the King of Cats (Tybalt) and Mercutio. Mercutio is shown to use puns to mock and taunt Tybalt. Also Mercutio mocks Tybalt on his skill of duelling as Tybalt is shown to be a talented duellist. Mercutio says ‘Alla stocatta’ which shows that he is ridiculing the skill of Tybalt. The fact that a verbal battle is happening would be visually seen on stage as the characters would be facing each other and squaring up to each other, this would be entertaining for the audience and also would increase the tension in the audience as to see who wins the verbal battle and to see the reaction of the characters when they insult each other.
The stage structure of the play is extremely vital because it all depends on how the actors portray the play to the audience as it is a play and is not intended to be read. In my opinion from the beginning of the play as more characters from both families enter, the stage should be seen becoming split into two by both families facing each other on each side, mocking and insulting. I believe that the positioning of the characters on stage and the visual effects play a vital part in building tension and portraying violence to the audience. In addition I believe that as more characters enter the stage the tension can be seen visually seen to rise and in the prologue where it says ‘ancient grudge break to new mutiny’ can be visually seen because in act 1 scene 1 there are a few characters on stage at the start and as the play progresses more characters enter the stage which shows how the grudge has increased and evolved into a mutiny. Moreover in that era of history the technology was not advanced and there would not have had special effects to entertain the audience so the only prop that would entertain the audience would have been the sword. Moreover the fact that Tybalt is shown to be a very skilled duellist has been purposely done by Shakespeare firstly to build tension and violence and secondly to entertain the audience.
In conclusion Shakespeare has used a variety of techniques to show how tension and violence in act 1 scene 1 and act 3 scene 1. Shakespeare has shown tension and violence by portraying the characters to talk about violence and killing using mockery and taunting which entertains the audience however at the same time adds an underlying tension which make the audience keen to see what happens next. Also imaginatively Shakespeare has given each character a specific characteristic which contributes in causing violence and tension e.g. Tybalt is portrayed to be a courageous character and to be full of enmity towards the Montagues, this makes the audience immediately alert whenever Tybalt is present on stage because they know that a fight can arise and that the scene will consist of anger. However if Shakespeare had not given each character an effective personality it would make the play boring and would not have a powerful effect. Furthermore, the use of language adds more potency to the scene influencing how the characters are perceived by the audience. Shakespeare has also portrayed the characters to used derogatory words such as: ‘fools’,’ dog’, ‘heartless hinds’ and ‘beasts’ to insult one another. Shakespeare has specifically chosen these words because in that period of time status was extremely important for people and in the play the Capulets and Montagues are shown to be of a high status so it was a big insult for them to be called such names which clearly suggests that Shakespeare intended to portray violence by using status as an important factor.
