Essay Topic- How Does Shakespeare Make Act3, Scene 1 Dramatic?

In the critically acclaimed play “Romeo and Juliet” William Shakespeare, who is regarded as the greatest English writer of all time, illustrates a dramatic tragedy when two “star-crossed lovers” from two rich and prestigious rival households fall in love. Act 3, scene 1 is especially dramatic and interesting because Shakespeare uses many dramatic techniques to reveal conflict, death and fate. By the end of Act 2, the audience feel comfortable with the marriage since it could end the feuding between the two families but everything changes in Act 3, Scene 1 as it becomes a huge turning point in the plot.
Act 3, scene 1 begins with a light-headed and joking atmosphere in the streets of Verona. Mercutio is teasing his friend Benvolio and everything seems tranquilized and peaceful but the audience get a few clues that things could get violent when Benvolio warns Mercutio that “the Capels are abroad, And if we meet, we shall not escape a brawl?”. Benvolio is very anxious and nervous since he knows that “hot” weather can aggravate people and make tempers flare. When Mercutio takes lightly of Benvolio’s warning and continues to be a joker, the audience can sense trouble nearby since we know from Act 1, that when Capulets and Montagues meet, blood is shed. Sooner or later, Tybalt the “King of Cats” arrives and the audience’s anxiety increases even more since we know he “Hates the word” peace. As Mercutio and Tybalt annoy and tease each other, the sense of tension grows as we realize that things are starting to be more dramatic and exciting.
When Romeo enters the scene, he submits and “loves” Tybalt since he has just gotten married with his cousin. Mercutio on the other hand who doesn’t know about the marriage becomes annoyed at Romeo’s submission to Tybalt and asks for him if he “will walk” meaning fight. At this point, the audience are surprised and somewhat confused since everything has happened so swiftly and breath-taking. While Tybalt and Mercutio fight, Romeo attempts to stop the fight but instead distracts Mercutio at the moment Tybalt stabs him. Mercutio who is angry at both Romeo and Tybalt, keeps his character as a joker but when the pain and anger gets too much, he sends a very emotional curse. “A plaque on both your houses”. The audience feel sympathy towards Mercutio’s death since he was loyal and stood up for Romeo but ended up dying under his arm. Shakespeare puts us in Romeo’s Shoes by using dramatic irony to make the audience feel helpless towards Mercutio’s state.
The scene is very dramatic because of the consequences it has on Romeo’s life. At the start, Romeo’s heart is full of friendship and love but after the death of his close friend, Romeo becomes a ruthless monster seeking revenge. Romeo charges after Tybalt and states that “either thou or I, or both, must go with him”. When Tybalt is slain, Romeo awareness rises and he realizes he had become “fortune’s fool”. Shakespeare uses this oxymoron to describe Romeo’s situation as he was being fooled by fortune. Romeo was at the mercy of fate and realises that “this days black fate” triggered “moe days” of tragedy. The audience now refer back to Act 1 where the prince stated that any more conflict between the two households would be punishable by death. Although Romeo is only exiled, since Tybalt started the fight, it means that Romeo and Juliet were now separated permanently. The audience become distressed since so much had changed now and that the love story had turned into a tragedy as it said in the prologue, that the “lovers take their life”. The audience’s perception of Romeo change since we realize that the scene have altered his character.
In conclusion, Act 3 Scene 1 has become a dramatic turning point of the play that changed the plot from young love to tragedy. Shakesphere makes this scene particularly dramatic and intriguing by expressing violence, death and fate through many dramatic techniques such as irony, imagery and puns. Near the finale of the play, Romeo and Juliet suicide since they couldn’t be together anymore and through the deaths, the feuding households ultimately unite. Violence, death and fate play important roles in this tragedy since all the odds were against their innocent love because they were destined for oblivion.