Act 3 scene 1 is an exciting, tense and moving scene because Shakespeare varies the tension throughout. There is a build-up of tension when Tybalt threatens Romeo; ’thou art a villain’ and when Mercutio draws on Tybalt. Tybalt accuses Mercutio ‘Thou consortest with Romeo’ and Mercutio replies with another reference to violence ‘here's my fiddlestick, here’s that shall make you dance, ‘zounds, consort!’ and with this he draws on Tybalt. There is lots of action, with two duels and two deaths, causing severe disruption to the pace of the play. It is also important, as the audience has to consider the consequences of these deaths.
Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to create tension in the audience; he does this because we, the audience know that Romeo is married to Tybalt’s cousin, Juliet. Tybalt and Mercutio do not know this. When Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt. Romeo tries to break up the fight, but whilst doing so Mercutio is mortally wounded and soon dies. This in turn causes more tension, because Romeo, feeling remorse for Mercutio, attacks, and kills Tybalt.
In Act 3 scene 1 Mercutio creates tension and emotion because he is a joker. When Tybalt fatally wounds Mercutio, Benvolio says ‘What, art thou hurt?’ Mercutio replies with ‘Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch…’ and he sounds like he is joking. But he continues to say ‘…marry, ‘tis enough,’ and we know he is ‘sped’. Mercutio’s personality causes tension, with him taunting Benvolio, ‘am I such a fellow?’ ‘Come, come, thou art as hot as a jack in thy mood.’ We know his quarrelling nature that he will encourage people to fight, and inevitably cause his death.
Tybalt is different. He says little but what he does say is very provocative. He says ‘Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo,’ accusing Mercutio, and starting the quarrel leading to their deaths. Tybalt seems to have patience to start with because Mercutio taunts him ‘Tybalt, you rat catcher, will you walk?’ and he replies ‘what wouldst thou have with me?’ it may be a build-up of tension inside Tybalt, that causes him to draw ‘I am for you’.
There are many themes in Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” The main theme in my opinion is love. There is Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other, which is the plot of the play. There is Romeo’s love for his friend, and causing the death of, Mercutio and causing Tybalt’s death and his banishment. I think this suggests that Shakespeare’s message to the audience, which is that people, and society in general, cannot live without love. Another theme in the play is conflict. Shakespeare uses conflict a lot in this play, mainly because there is 5 deaths overall. Shakespeare uses conflict well to create tension, but also it suggests how life consists of conflict. Romeo and Juliet die because of this conflict, and this example is suggesting that conflict is pointless and destructive. In this play Shakespeare is suggesting that we do have some free will, the control of our own fate. In the Victorian era, people believed that we had a fate set out for us, instead of choice. In the play there are a few vital choices made, which in turn, alters the plot of the play. Juliet chose to marry Romeo, instead of Paris. Mercutio chose to attack Tybalt, so it wasn’t fate causing his death. When Romeo kills Tybalt in a quarrel, he comes out with the line ‘O, I am fortune’s fool,’ talking about the God or spirit of fortune, had caused him to attack Tybalt.
The prince’s role in this play is the voice of authority. He is the overlying ruler of Verona, and what he says goes. He is featured as royalty in this play because the queen would have gone to see the play. Shakespeare wanted to make royalty seem effective, by the way the prince dealt with Romeo. He listened to both sides, asked for Benvolio's views and then made the decision to banish Romeo, rather than execution. This is simply implying that royalty is good, and just.
