Romeo and Juliet: Blog 2 for Act 2 (and 3) (and movies!)
First Impressions:
The pace is skyrocketing. Act 2 starts out slow and quiet, but as Romeo and Juliet get more and more in love, and as they finally get married, every obstacle in existence seems to crash down on them. Mercutio is murdered, then Tybalt is murdered, then Romeo banished. Quite a plate full. As always, the language of the play is difficult to grasp, but hidden in those complex phrases is a plot that is easy to follow. Even through all the weird words, it is relatively easy to pick up what is going down.
As for the “Love Conquers All” theme, can love conquer anything? By the end of Act 3, even throughout all the mistakes Romeo has made and his banishment, Juliet still loves him and still goes against her father’s wishes despite the grave situation. But love is not conquering Tybalt’s murder, the banishment, or the feud between houses, the only factors stopping Romeo and Juliet’s love. The only significant thing love has conquered is Romeo and Juliet’s marriage. Possibly, the theme is more being set up to be in effect later. In spite of all these upsets, Juliet will most likely find a way to be with her husband as much as she can.
Romeo is definitely at fault for the direction the play is steering. He interfered in Mercutio and Tybalt’s bickering, making Tybalt kill Mercutio, giving himself reason to kill Tybalt. And now, he is banished. Without any of this, Romeo and Juliet would keep meeting in secret until eventually they could mend the houses’ distaste from the inside.
Mercutio:
Though he was only hoping to have some fun, Mercutio suffered a tragic demise for it. Mercutio was always poking fun at people, trying to lighten the mood. He poked not only the enemy, but his own as well; of course, that offered him more chances to (try to) be funny. Yet, there was sometimes truth within that poke.
After being struck by Tybalt, Mercutio joked with himself and others, “You shall find me a grave man.” Grave can mean serious (not funny) or, in this case, dead. Even in facing death, Mercutio tried to play off being mortally wounded with a double entendre. He knows he is dead, so why sulk for the last moments of his life?
Tybalt/Mercutio:
Mercutio’s death, along with Tybalt’s, was undeserved; neither of them had to die. Mercutio picked the fight, but in more of a playful manner. Tybalt seemed to go along with it, and they laughed with each other as they dueled. The only reason Mercutio was wounded was because Romeo got in the way. And of course, Romeo then killed Tybalt for a mistake he made.
Both characters, Mercutio and Tybalt, were likable; Tybalt had an intensity to keep everyone on edge, and Mercutio had a wit that upped the mood. Shakespeare killed them off for this reason. If the audience did not like the characters, the death would be meaningless, and nobody could sympathize with either of them or feel love or hate towards Romeo. It not only makes Romeo more dynamic, but the unexpectedness of it moves the plot on in way that keeps the audience hooked.
Movies:
The movie versions of the pay, Zeffirelli and Luhrmann's versions, had impactful environmental, line delivery, and intensity differences in the death scenes of Tybalt and Mercutio.
In Zeffirelli’s scene, Tybalt and Mercutio play fight back and forth; they are poking fun at one another, but not literally poking each other with their swords. Tybalt’s slow and confident movements make the audience question whether he will actually strike Mercutio or not, adding suspense in each of Tybalt’s steps. They fight in a packed street, with a crowd egging them on. As they laugh and joke with one another, Romeo tries to stop them, and in his attempt to block the fight, Tybalt accidentally stabs Mercutio. Up to this point, the actors are joking with one another, with mockery and sarcasm blatant in their tones. But once Tybalt realizes blood was on his sword, he speaks in a concerned voice and has a bewildered face to match it. Even Romeo and Benvolio believe Mercutio’s wound is a joke until he tells Romeo.
When Romeo catches up to Tybalt, a small crowd still following, Tybalt does not want to fight Romeo. And Romeo is scared to battle Tybalt, but felt he has no choice once he instigated enough for Tybalt to fight back.
Luhrmann’s take on the scene was much more intense. Dialogue, music, and action were all loud and boisterous to amplify a dramatic effect. Instead of having Tybalt and Mercutio bicker the whole time, they get into an actual heated fight because Tybalt was beating Romeo. Everyone was basically yelling their lines to one another. The setting was more isolated in this version, Mercutio’s death taking place on an isolated beach and then most of Tybalt’s scene in a car chase.
Once Mercutio died, the the warm and sunny day turned into rain and thunder. The colors changed from warm to cold, representing Romeo’s state of mind. While it was warm, Romeo was trying to love Tybalt, but as his rage towards him built up, the atmosphere changed to a menacing dark. Unlike Zeffirelli’s scene, Romeo did not show one hint of being afraid; he was on a rampage, going to any measure to take his anger out on Tybalt.
If only he restrained himself.
