Act Three Scene One of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Act Three Scene One of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Italians normally take a nap after lunch during the heat of the day.

In the height of summer the heat is supposed to create madness.

Shakespeare may have moved the action from spring to summer for just

this reason.

There are many themes in this play especially in this scene

* Hastiness- Romeo is hasty to fall in and out of love. The two are

too hasty to get married; they never thought about what could go

wrong.

* Infatuation- Romeo and Juliet, in all probability, were not really

in love. They were infatuated with each other. They were in love

with the idea that they were in love. They could not have fallen

so deeply in love with only one conversation.

* Selfishness- Tybalt was selfish for killing Mercutio. Romeo was

not thinking of Juliet as he killed her cousin.

Mercutio and Benvolio are in the public square of the city. Benvolio

suggests that they go home since the Capulets are likely to encounter

them (and if we meet we shall not scape a brawl). Mercutio is always

ready for a fight, Responds with his good-natures humour and accuses

Benvolio of being too peace loving.

True to Benvolio's prediction, Tybalt and his attendants arrive on the

scene. Tybalt wants to know Romeo's whereabouts as he has not replied

to his letter of challenge. Mercutio mocks him and draws his sword.

Just then, Romeo arrives. Tybalt calls Romeo a villain. Romeo, fresh

from his marriage to Juliet, informs him that reasons of love prevent

him from fighting, but he denies that he is a villain. Tybalt again

invites Romeo to a fight, and Romeo refuses.

...

... middle of paper ...

...t begins the woe

others must end," and to Tybalt he says that either him or Tybalt or

both must go with Mercutio's soul. The language that Romeo uses before

and after the death of Mercutio is contradictory to what he said

before the death. The imagery before the death of Mercutio is cheerful

and witty but after he passed away the imagery is all gloomy and dark.

There are some key issues intwined in this scene and the rest of the

play

* Feuding- The feuding of the families was the whole reason for the

tragedy. They should have reconciled their differences years ago.

They didn't even know what they were fighting about.

* Fate- It was considered fate that they would meet and fall in love

and then die for each other. Fate brought them together as well as

ended their lives. It was in the stars.