Romeo & Juliet - Act 3 Scene 1
A public place.
This scene begins as a mirror-image of 1.1, with the Montague party starting off in the same Verona street setting. It also echoes the more recent 2.2, with Benvolio and Mercutio awaiting Romeo.
Enter MERCUTIO, BENVOLIO, Page, and Servants
BENVOLIO
I pray thee, good Mercutio, let's retire:
The day is hot, the Capulets abroad,
And, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl;
For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.
Benvolio's comment about the heat seems to resonate through the whole play, reflecting both the local conditions and the English view of Italy as a place where the "mad blood" is always "stirring," either to battle or to love.
MERCUTIO
Thou art like one of those fellows that, when
he enters the confines of a tavern claps me
his sword upon the table and says 'God send
me no need of thee!' And by the operation
of the second cup draws it on the drawer, when
indeed there is no need.
BENVOLIO
Am I like such a fellow?
MERCUTIO
Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as
any in Italy, and as soon moved to be moody, and
as soon moody to be moved.
BENVOLIO
And what to?
Mercutio's speech is funny, accusing the even-tempered Benvolio of violent tendencies. At the same time, it gives vent to Mercutio's desire for action.
MERCUTIO
Nay, there were two such, we should have
none shortly, for one would kill the other. Thou!
Why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a
hair more, or a hair less, in his beard, than thou
hast; thou wilt quarrel with a man for cracking
nuts, having no other reason but because thou
hast hazel eyes; what eye but such an eye would
spy out such a quarrel? Thy head is as full of quarrels
as an egg is full of meat, and yet thy head hath
been beaten as addle as an egg for quarrelling. Thou
hast quarrelled with a man for coughing in the street,
because he hath wakened thy dog that hath lain
asleep in the sun; didst thou not fall out with a
tailor for wearing his new doublet before Easter?
With another, for tying his new shoes with old ribbon?
And yet thou wilt tutor me from quarrelling!
BENVOLIO
An I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man
should buy the fee-simple of my life for an hour
and a quarter.
MERCUTIO
The fee-simple! O simple!
BENVOLIO
By my head, here come the Capulets.
MERCUTIO
By my heel, I care not.
The followers on both sides and the heat of the day make this a meeting of large groups, with the potential to escalate quickly, similar to a showdown in a Western. There may already be resentment simmering between Mercutio and Tybalt, which adds to the tension.
Enter TYBALT and others
TYBALT
Follow me close, for I will speak to them.
Gentlemen, good den; a word with one of you.
MERCUTIO
And but one word with one of us? Couple it
with something: make it a word and a blow.
TYBALT
You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an
you will give me occasion.
MERCUTIO
Could you not take some occasion without
giving?
TYBALT
Mercutio, thou consort'st with Romeo –
MERCUTIO
Consort! What, dost thou make us minstrels?
an thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing
but discords. Here's my fiddlestick; here's that
shall make you dance. 'Zounds, consort!
BENVOLIO
We talk here in the public haunt of men;
Either withdraw unto some private place,
And reason coldly of your grievances,
Or else depart; here all eyes gaze on us.
MERCUTIO
Men's eyes were made to look, and let them gaze;
I will not budge for no man's pleasure, I.
Romeo enters just as the scene is building towards the inevitable fight, simultaneously disrupting and heightening the tension. His arrival focuses Tybalt's anger on its proper target, but Romeo also brings into the scene a gentle affability which puzzles all involved.
Enter ROMEO
TYBALT
Well, peace be with you, sir; here comes my man.
MERCUTIO
But I'll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery.
Marry, go before to field, he'll be your follower;
Your worship in that sense may call him 'man.'
TYBALT
Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford
No better term than this: thou art a villain.
ROMEO
Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage
To such a greeting. Villain am I none;
Therefore farewell; I see thou know'st me not.
Tybalt's "turn and draw" suggests that Romeo has passed him by, either to join his friends or to continue homeward.
TYBALT
Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
That thou hast done me; therefore turn and draw.
ROMEO
I do protest, I never injured thee,
But love 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 my own, be satisfied.
Mercutio is enraged by Romeo's friendly treatment of Tybalt; Benvolio may be similarly stunned, or may be supportive of his friend's newfound even temper.
MERCUTIO
O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!
Alla stoccata carries it away.
[Draws his sword]
Tybalt, you ratcatcher, will you walk?
TYBALT
What wouldst thou have with me?
Mercutio's words suggest that the fight, while full of rage, is not meant to be lethal, the goal being defeat and humiliation rather than injury or death.
MERCUTIO
Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives;
that I mean to make bold withal, and as you shall
use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the eight.
Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher by the
ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere
it be out.
TYBALT
I am for you.
[Drawing his sword]
ROMEO
Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.
MERCUTIO
Come, sir, your passado.
[They fight]
Romeo's interference here is the play's most direct example of good intentions resulting in tragic consequences.
ROMEO
Draw, Benvolio; beat down their weapons.
Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage!
Tybalt, Mercutio, the Prince expressly hath
Forbidden bandying in Verona streets.
Hold, Tybalt! good Mercutio!
TYBALT under ROMEO's arm stabs MERCUTIO, and flies with
his followers
MERCUTIO
I am hurt.
A plague on both your houses! I am sped.
Is he gone, and hath nothing?
Romeo and Benvolio may have an inkling here of the severity of Mercutio's wound, or they may be utterly oblivious to it, assuming that he's simply carrying a joke too far.
BENVOLIO
What, art thou hurt?
MERCUTIO
Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, 'tis enough.
Where is my page? Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.
[Exit Page]
ROMEO
Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much.
MERCUTIO
No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a
church-door; but 'tis enough,'twill serve. Ask
for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave
man. I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A
plague on both your houses! 'Zounds, a dog, a rat,
a mouse, a cat, to scratch a man to death! A
braggart, a rogue, a villain, that fights by the book
of arithmetic! Why the devil came you between us?
I was hurt under your arm.
“I thought all for the best” could be the motto of every character in this play, as good intentions again and again lead to tragic results.
ROMEO
I thought all for the best.
MERCUTIO
Help me into some house, Benvolio,
Or I shall faint. A plague on both your houses!
They have made worms' meat of me.
I have it, and soundly too: your houses!
Exeunt MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO
Romeo's accusation of Juliet here seems unfair, and carries him from one extreme to another, as he shifts from good-natured affability to murderous rage.
ROMEO
This gentleman, the Prince's near ally,
My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt
In my behalf; my reputation stained
With Tybalt's slander, Tybalt, that an hour
Hath been my kinsman! O sweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate
And in my temper softened valour's steel!
Re-enter BENVOLIO
BENVOLIO
O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio's dead!
That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds,
Which too untimely here did scorn the earth.
Romeo takes on the role of avenger, aiming to make Tybalt pay for Mercutio's death. Does he honestly blame Tybalt here, or is this a way of atoning for his own role in the incident?
ROMEO
This day's black fate on more days doth depend;
This but begins the woe others must end.
BENVOLIO
Here comes the furious Tybalt back again.
ROMEO
Alive, in triumph, and Mercutio slain!
Away to heaven, respective lenity,
And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!
[Re-enter TYBALT]
Now, Tybalt, take the “villain” back again,
That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul
Is but a little way above our heads,
Staying for thine to keep him company.
Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him.
TYBALT
Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here,
Shalt with him hence.
ROMEO
This shall determine that.
Because Tybalt has been established as the superior fighter, Romeo's victory here is often portrayed as a result of blind luck, sheer aggression, or cheating. Modern productions sometimes have him produce a gun while Tybalt is armed with a sword or knife.
They fight; TYBALT falls
BENVOLIO
Romeo, away, be gone!
The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain.
Stand not amazed. The Prince will doom thee death
If thou art taken; hence, be gone, away!
ROMEO
O, I am fortune's fool!
In a moment, the major threat changes; where the play had built up tension around the inevitable confrontation with Tybalt, it now raises the stakes and reminds us of the Prince's edict.
BENVOLIO
Why dost thou stay?
Exit ROMEO
Enter Citizens
First Citizen
Which way ran he that killed Mercutio?
Tybalt, that murderer, which way ran he?
BENVOLIO
There lies that Tybalt.
First Citizen
Up, sir, go with me;
I charge thee in the Prince’s name, obey.
Enter Prince, attended; MONTAGUE, CAPULET, their Wives, and others
This scene echoes 1.1, with the Prince now called upon to pass judgement and uphold his previous ruling.
PRINCE
Where are the vile beginners of this fray?
BENVOLIO
O noble prince, I can discover all
The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl:
There lies the man, slain by young Romeo,
That slew thy kinsman, brave Mercutio.
Lady Capulet's grief for Tybalt, and the bloodlust it engenders, are both surprising here, as they appear out of nowhere.
LADY CAPULET
Tybalt, my cousin! O my brother's child!
O Prince! O cousin! Husband! O, the blood is spilt
O my dear kinsman! Prince, as thou art true,
For blood of ours, shed blood of Montague.
O cousin, cousin!
PRINCE
Benvolio, who began this bloody fray?
Benvolio is once again made to recount events which the audience has seen, simultaneously clarifying the preceding action and adding his own perspective to the events.
BENVOLIO
Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo's hand did slay;
Romeo that spoke him fair, bade him bethink
How the quarrel was, and urged withal
Your high displeasure; all this utterèd
With gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bowed,
Could not take truce with the unruly spleen
Of Tybalt deaf to peace, but that he tilts
With piercing steel at bold Mercutio's breast,
Who all as hot, turns deadly point to point,
And, with a martial scorn, with one hand beats
Cold death aside, and with the other sends
It back to Tybalt, whose dexterity,
Retorts it; Romeo he cries aloud,
'Hold, friends! friends, part!' And, swifter than his tongue,
His agile arm beats down their fatal points,
And 'twixt them rushes; underneath whose arm
An envious thrust from Tybalt hit the life
Of stout Mercutio, and then Tybalt fled;
But by and by comes back to Romeo,
Who had but newly entertained revenge,
And to 't they go like lightning; for ere I
Could draw to part them, was stout Tybalt slain.
And, as he fell, did Romeo turn and fly.
This is the truth, or let Benvolio die.
LADY CAPULET
He is a kinsman to the Montague;
Affection makes him false; he speaks not true.
Some twenty of them fought in this black strife,
And all those twenty could but kill one life.
I beg for justice, which thou, prince, must give;
Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live.
This is a traditional moment of judgement, as the Prince is pulled between Lady Capulet's demands for blood and Montague's request for mercy. He reminds both parties that Mercutio, too, is slain, thus involving the Prince directly in the feud.
PRINCE
Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio;
Who now the price of his dear blood doth owe?
MONTAGUE
Not Romeo, Prince, he was Mercutio's friend;
His fault concludes but what the law should end:
The life of Tybalt.
PRINCE
And for that offence
Immediately we do exile him hence.
I have an interest in your hate's proceeding,
My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a-bleeding;
But I'll amerce you with so strong a fine
That you shall all repent the loss of mine.
I will be deaf to pleading and excuses;
Nor tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses.
Therefore use none. Let Romeo hence in haste,
Else, when he's found, that hour is his last.
Bear hence this body and attend our will.
Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill.
Exeunt