Act 3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Act 3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Act 3, Scene 1 is very important because it lays the ground for the

rest of the play. It signals a turning point and is also central to

the play’s structure as well as to the drama. The first half of the

play is focused on love and romance whereas the second will

concentrate on more tragic and calamitous drama. The scene represents

a climax to suspense built in the first half of the play and

Shakespeare uses this scene to inform the audience of the forthcoming

change in drama. He introduces more dramatic irony, a significant

dramatic device in the play, and leaves the audience hanging in

expectation.

The prologue sets the scene and notifies the audience of the content

of the play and notifies the audience of the families and the fury

between the two, “From an ancient grudge break to new mutiny”.

Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in the prologue to inform us of Romeo

and Juliet, “star-cross’d lovers,” it informs us of how they are

ill-fated and it is predestined that their love will end in tragedy.

At the very beginning of the play we meet Sampson and Gregory,

servants of Capulet and also Abram and Balthasar, servants of

Montague. They argue and this leads to a fight and so we are

immediately shown the rivalry between the two families, the hatred

being so strong it is even passed down to the servants of the

families. The reaction of key characters to this fight is important

because it hints at what might happen in the future.

Benvolio is introduced to the audience at the beginning of the play

when the fighting starts and he demands for the it to stop saying,

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...he killed Tybalt, Benvolio gives a bias account. He is going to

protect Romeo, as brothers do and he relates to Romeo as being “young”

in order to influence the prince. Benvolio does this so that Romeo

isn’t killed as a punishment; emotive language is used here, in order

to turn the mind of the prince, “O noble Prince.” Benvolio talks of

how Romeo did not initiate the fight, “manage of this fatal brawl.”

Mercutio is portrayed as “brave” in an effort to ‘win the prince over’

as Mercutio is a relation of the prince.

The opening of the play prepares us for the drama in Act 3, scene 1 in

many ways. Shakespeare uses many different techniques to influence

the audience, predict the future and provide unexpected twists in the

plot. There is a lot of dramatic irony, imagery, poetic language and

also changes of context.