Act 3 Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

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Recommended: Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony and its role in Romeo and Juliet

Act 3 Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Prior to Act 3 Scene 1 we witness the happiest moment in the play -

the marriage between Romeo and Juliet. This occurs in secret because

Juliet is a Capulet and Romeo is a Montague, there is an on-going fued

between their families. This play is a classic example of a

Shakespearean comedy - Juliet's father is very strict with her, she

and Romeo are mis-matched lovers (they cannot be together because of

the fued between their families), and Juliet fakes her death to be

with Romeo. These are the basic characteristics of a Shakespearean

comedy/romance. After the marriage, the genre of the play changes from

romantic comedy to tragedy. This happens when Mercutio and Tybalt die.

There is dramatic irony in that, in the beginning of the play, in the

chorus, we are told "A pair of star cross'd lovers take their lives",

so we know that Romeo and Juliet will commit suicide, but the

characters don't have a clue.

At the beginning of Act 3 Scene 1, Benvolio attempts to persuade

Mercutio to leave. He wants to avoid a public fight because the Duke

will order banishment or death upon the person whoo starts the next

fight between the Capulets and Montagues in public. Mercutio refuses

to leave and there is a confrontation Tybalt and Mercutio. Tybalt is

angry because Romeo gate-crashed the Capulet party. Romeo arrives on

the scene but refuses to fight. Instead, he tells Tybalt that he loves

him but does not say why. We know that he says this because they are

family now as he has married Juliet. Mercutio is disgusted by Romeo's

submission to Tybalt and decides to step in and defend his honour.

Tybalt ends up stabbing and killing Mercutio, but before he dies

Mercutio cries out "A plague o' both your houses", practically cursing

them, because if not for them, he would not have died. Romeo suddenly

erupts with rage and avenges Mercutio by killing Tybalt. Romeo is then

banished by the Duke for his public display of violence against a

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