Act+3+Scene+1

Act Three, Scene One - Blair The day is hot, and Benvolio urges Mercutio to go inside, for fears a fight will break out as a result of the hot weather. They are confronted by Tybalt, who kills Mercutio. In a fit of rage, Romeo kills Tybalt. The tragic deaths that occur in this scene mark the decline of the play’s main characters. Metaphors are used widely in this scene: ‘Thou art as hot as a Jack in thy mood as any in Italy,’ ‘Thy head is as full of quarrel as an egg is full of meat.’ An analogy is used when Mercutio says, ‘Thou hast quarrelled with a man for coughing in the street, because he hath wakened thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun.’ Dramatic irony is used when Mercutio is dying – ‘What, art thou hurt?’ ‘Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch.’ This is also an example of repetition. Dramatic irony is used again when Mercutio says, ‘Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man,’ as he would be dead. Most of Shakespeare’s best-known works were tragedies. While //Romeo and Juliet’s// standing as a true tragedy has been disputed by literature critics, it undoublty contains many tragic elements (as well as elements of fate, which was a major belief in the Elizabethan era.) In the Elizabethan era, when Shakespeare wrote his greatest works, it was common for authors and playwrights to kill off characters at the drop of a hat. This happens to Mercutio and Tybalt in this scene. The sudden death of characters was used as a technique to heighten the dramatic tension, as these character’s deaths were unexpected. Even when he is dying, Mercutio retains his humorous character: ‘Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch...go fetch a surgeon.’ Romeo is unusually angered when he kills Tybalt. Tybalt is his old self, evil and insulting: ‘Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford/No better term than this: thou art a villain.’ The scene is set in a public place in Verona, on a hot day, in the Elizabethan era. Conflict (between Tybalt and Mercutio), death (Tybalt and Mercutio), enemies (Tybalt to Romeo), love (Romeo’s love for Mercutio), passion (Romeo killing Tybalt, because he killed Mercutio). In the film, swords are replaced with guns. Mercutio’s death also occurs on-screen (as opposed to the play, where he exits and presumably dies off-stage.) This was to heighten the drama of the scene and make it more “Hollywood” friendly. Tybalt: ‘Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford/ No better term than this: thou art a villain.’ This shows us Tybalt’s hate for Romeo (because he has married Tybalt’s cousin, Juliet.) Mercutio: ‘Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch.’ An example of dramatic irony, as Mercutio says this when he is badly wounded and dying. Mercutio: ‘A plague on both your houses!’ Mercutio’s death was a result of the hatred between the Montagues and Capulets. He says this line as he is dying.
 * Scene Summary
 * Dramatisation
 * Props:** Swords are used many times in this scene, as two characters are killed.
 * Stage Movement:** There is much movement in this scene. Benvolio and Mercutio are outside, then Tybalt and Pertruchio enter. Romeo then enters, and various characters enter and exit after this, especially Mercutio, whose death occurs offstage.
 * Poetic devices
 * Context Analysis
 * Character Analysis
 * Setting
 * Themes
 * Film Adaption
 * Key Quotes