As I continue my adventure through the wonderful and tragic story of Romeo and Juliet I stop again to write about another extremely memorable part of the play. This is in Act 3, scene 1. A great street brawl involving four of the main characters of the play, Romeo, Tybalt, Benvolio and Mercutio. This brawl will come to a tragic end for two of these characters. I have been tasked with taking a far more abstract way to reflect on this scene, in the form of a a news report. But before I show you what I have created let me give you a more detailed run down about some of the characters in the scene.
If you haven’t read my previous post about the contrasts between Tybalt and Benvolio then I would encourage you to do so as it may help you understand this scene better.
Romeo is obviously one of the major characters in this play, as his name is in its title. Just like Benvolio and Mercutio, Romeo is part of the Montague house. The Montague houses greatest rivals are the Capulets. Tybalt is part of the capulet house so you may be able to see what is to come next.
Mercutio is romeos cousin and is far more similar to Tybalt then he is to Benvolio. Just like Tybalt Mercutio is very brash and hot-headed. He likes to spur conflict into action and not keep the peace like Benvolio and even Romeo try to do in this seen. Because both Mercutio and Tybalt were so eager for a fight it is to nobody’s surprise when one begins between the to boys. The fight is pretty evenly matched. Although Romeo still try’s to separate the boys as if the prince of Verona catches them fighting like this they will both be punished. Unfortunately for Mercutio, when Romeo Finally try’s to split up the fight be using force, Mercutio gets stabbed in what we assume is the heart. Being the strong willed and humorous person Mercutio is he still walks around and makes jokes about Tybalts fighting. Nobody seems to take his injury seriously until he falls to the ground and dies. This marks the first death in this scene. Mercutio death fills Romeo with rage and makes him forget that he is married to Tybalts cousin Juliet.
The fight between Tybalt and Mercutio:
The next fight ensues when a wild Romeo runs into Tybalt again. The two fight, until romeos lands a fatal blow on Tybalt. Instantly Romeo regrets his choice. He is pulled away from Tybalts body by Benvolio. This marks the end of the fight in act 3, scene one, the tie for the bloodiest scene of the play. What’s important to understand about this scene is the impact that this will have on Romeo. Will Juliet still love him? How can you be her husband now if everyone in her family wants him dead? These questions and many more were probably running through his mind. Later the prince decides that Romeo shouldn’t be executed, but he will be banished from the city of Verona.
The fight between Romeo and Tybalt:
To represent this scene I have made a news report on the brawl. See if you can match up the events of the story with what happens in the news report. I have chosen to make this report a modern style, as if the play was happening in the 2000s.
Overall I hope that the information I have shared with you and this news report that has a modern take on the story has helped you understand the importance of this scene. Although many of you may now be thinking that this is the greatest tragedy of the play, I assure you, if you keep on reading, you may be surprised.
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