In this coursework, I intend to reveal and display Romeo’s emotional and psychological changes in his mood during the whole of Act 3 Scene 1. I will asses his mood before he met Juliet at the Capulet’s party and after it. I will also try to demonstrate how important this particular scene is as a whole and distinctively to the character of Romeo. This scene is very important as it leads to Romeo needlessly avenging the murder of his close friend Mercutio by killing Tybalt in another Montague V Capulet battle which leads to Romeo’s banishment from Verona and then to the couple’s death. Apart from this, I will express my ideas of how some of the scenes should be acted.
Paragraph 1: At the beginning of the play, Romeo is deeply in love with a young girl called Rosaline. He is very sad and has become depressed as she has rejected him. His father, Montague, senses that something is wrong with his son, “with tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew” (Act 1 Scene 1 line 127). But yet he doesn’t know what the cause of his sorrow is. He describes his son as secretive and reserved “But to himself so secret and so close” (Act 1 Scene 1 line 142). He thinks his son as a very unpredictable character; “So far from sounding and discovery, as is the bud wit an envious worm” (Act 1 Scene 1 lines 145-146).
When Romeo enters the scene for the 1st time, you get the feeling that he is very sad. His body language is clearly a telling evidence of this as the book indicates that he sighs deeply before saying his line. He describes being “Out of her favour where I am in love” (Rosaline) (Act 1 Scene 1 line 164) as the reason for his unhappiness. He then transcends into self pity “O, brawling love! O loving hate!” (Act 1 Scene 1 line 172). After accidentally ending up at a party held by the Capulet’s, he meets Juliet. He instantly falls in love with her amazing beauty. “As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear- Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear” (Act 1 Scene 5 lines 44-45). When he first talks to her, is on the subject of religious matters. “If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this” (Act 1 Scene 1 lines 91- 92). When Benvolio reveals that Juliet is a Capulet, he is astounded but describes meeting her as having the best of the party. After the party, he quickly forgets about Rosaline. This is demonstrated when he talks to Friar Lawrence.
The friar asks him if he’s been with Rosaline and Romeo responds “With Rosaline, my ghostly father? No, I’ve forgot that name and that name is woe” (Act 2 Scene 3 lines 46-47). He then asks the friar to marry the two. When Friar Lawrence rebukes him for his rushed decision, he answers “I pray thee chide me not. Her I love now doth grace for grace and love for love allow; the other did not”. This is proof that he really believes that he loves and is loved by Juliet. In this paragraph, I have established how emotionally insecure Romeo is. His love for Rosaline and then for Juliet seem as very important things which virtually dictate his life.
Paragraph 2: When Romeo enters in Act 3 scene 1, he is extremely happy as he has just married and spent the night with his new wife, Juliet. He is extremely happy that he has finally found the love of his life. He tries to be polite to Tybalt because he doesn’t want any trouble with him because of their new family ties due to his marriage to a member of the Capulet household. In act 2 scene 6 lines 3-5, Romeo says “But come what sorrow can, it cannot countervail the exchange of joy that one short minute gives me in her sight”. I think that this quote tells us the magnitude of Romeo’s love for Juliet and his happiness at marrying her .I imagine that Romeo would enter very cheerful, with a big grin on his face. He would enter jumping about feeling very vigorous; filled with energy that his new love has given him.
Paragraph3: Tybalt, unaware of Romeo’s secret matrimony to his cousin Juliet, greets Romeo harshly. Romeo tries to calm Tybalt down by saying “the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting” (Act 3 Scene 1 lines 58-60). In this quote, he says in that because they are now part of the same family due their marriage, he would like to be friends with Tybalt. Romeo tries to go away from Tybalt who becomes more agitated due to Romeo’s puzzling words. Romeo claims to have never offended Tybalt. He says “But loves thee better than thou canst devise till thou shalt know the reason of my love. And so good Capulet, which name I tender as dearly as mine own, be satisfied” (Act 3 Scene 1 lines 65-68). In here, Romeo tries to explain that, because of their new unseen family ties, there is no need to fight and their family feuds should be forgotten.
Mercutio then insults Tybalt who in turn draws his sword starting the fight. The text suggests that Romeo tries to ignore Tybalt’s constant insults by reminding his new family connections with him due to his recent bonding into the Capulet family circle. But his words are very baffling to Tybalt who then becomes twitchy and eager to fight. Romeo, scared and alarmed then tries to break up the fight by reminding Mercutio of his character for which he is know by “Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up!” When this fails, he asks Benvolio to stop them. He then reminds the pair of the Prince of Verona’s banning on brawls between the Capulet’s and Montague’s. He then runs between them as if saying that if they want to fight is going to be over his body.
Paragraph 4: At first, when Mercutio complains of his wound, Romeo takes it light-heartedly not realizing the full extent of Mercutio’s injury “Courage man, the hurt cannot be much” (Act 3 Scene 1 line 92).Then Mercutio, realizing how bad his wound was, blames Romeo for his wound as Tybalt injured him under Romeo’s arm. Mercutio also blames the family feuds for his injury before dying “A plague o’ both your houses, they have made worm’ meat of me” (Act 3 Scene 1 lines 102-103) .Romeo then says “I thought all for the best”. He then blames himself for Mercutio’s wound which will then kill him but also shows of how embarrassed he is that Tybalt has made a mockery out him by killing Mercutio. “my very friend, hath got this mortal hurt in my behalf- my reputation stained” .
Romeo then begins to realise that his love for Juliet has and will bring a lot of suffering between the households, this is demonstrated when he talks about Juliet’s beauty making him a bit of wimp and a coward and that he should have fought Tybalt. “Oh sweet Juliet: Thy beauty hath made me effeminate: and in my temper softened valour’s steel!” (Act 3 Scene 1 lines 109-11) When Benvolio comes back with news that Mercutio is dead, he describes the day as a dark one and his rest of his life filled with darker ones “This day’s black fate on more days doth depend: This but begins the woe others must end”( Act 3 Scene 1 lines 115-116).
Paragraph 5: This moment of insanity on Romeo’s behalf is the one that seals the lover’s fate. Tybalt comes back, according to Romeo “alive, triumphant”. Romeo is angry that his best friend has died skirmishing one of his own fights .He lets anger and rage takes control of him and therefore his actions “And fired eyed fury be my conduct now!”(Act 3 scene 1 lines 120). He demands an apology from Tybalt for calling him a “villain”; he then follows on by vowing revenge for his friend’s death. “That late thou gav’st me, for Mercutio’s soul is but a little way above our heads, stating for thine to keep him company. Either thou, or I, or both must go with him!” (Act 3 Scene 1 line 122-125). When Tybalt refuses to apologise Romeo pulls out his sword and begins to fight him.
Paragraph 6: In this scene, Romeo realizes what he has done. He has killed Tybalt and due to the law of Verona, the Prince would have to vanish him or even kill him. Romeo cannot bear to think this as either of the 2 would separate him from his true love Juliet. Romeo says “o, I am a fortune’s fool” (Act 3 Scene 1 line 132). He blames bad luck for the misfortune’s that have just unfolded. When he says this, he is unable to move because of what he has just done and the terrible consequences of it. Because of this the family feuds will still go on. I think that I would make the actor playing Romeo act pleased, cheerful, secure and pleased with himself just after killing Tybalt. I would do this because this would betray hide Romeo’s real emotions. Romeo was not pleased after killing Tybalt; he only killed the Capulet member because he acted driven by his rage and anger that engulfed him after Mercutio’s death.
He was not cheerful because to him, he had killed one of his own as he was now a Capulet due to his marriage to Juliet. Also because it was his fault that Mercutio was killed. He would not feel secure, he would be petrified as his punishment could be very serious, his punishment would mean would force him to never see Juliet again, he could not bear this thought. He wouldn’t be pleased either. Although Tybalt did kill Mercutio, he did not want to kill him. He had tried to be polite to Tybalt and it had backfired. He had tried to stop the fight but that also failed.
Paragraph 7: My essay has demonstrated just how emotionally insecure the young Romeo is. From deep depression due to Rosaline’s rejects, to extreme joy and happiness after meeting Juliet, all of this in as short space of time. After his risky and somewhat rushed decision to marry Juliet, of the rival Capulet household, his emotions stabilize. His failure to handle the hostile Tybalt leads to his good friend Mercutio’s death. His immaturity lets anger and rage taker over him and ends in him killing Tybalt. This leads to him being vanished from Verona which creates another dilemma as he has to stay away from his wife Juliet. This essay proves how mentally unstable and immature Romeo is.
