Desperate help on English coursework!!!

Hello, my english coursework dealine is for tomorrow and i need someone, anyone to tell me what grade it is at, at the moment and anyways of im proving it, im looking to get a B in it, but i think its more of a C at the minute. I need someone to tell me as i have to hand write it all and dont want to waste all my night writing if its anything of a D or below.



Louis Moore

English essay

Look again at act 3, scene 1, when Mercutio and Tybalt die. Give your views on the scene, its dramatic importance to play as a whole, and how you think it can be most effectively performed.





Intro

“Romeo and Juliet” is a tragic love story about two star cross lovers who fall in love at first sight. They fall in love and get married in secret because their two families hate each other. However, up to the point of act 3 scene 1 Romeo and Juliet could be seen as a love story, in this scene the story becomes a tragic and there is two deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt. I will discuses the scene in detailed covering ; the scene, the happenings in the scene and after it, the Prince’s speech and the effect on the audience that the play has.

In act 3 scenes 1 there is a street brawl. One of the reasons it starts is that at the Capulet’s ball Romeo is spotted at the ball, this is where he meets Juliet. This is not allowed because the Capulet’s and the Montague’s family are enemies and Tybalt. The person that starts the all the fighting Is Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt. This is one of the reasons why there is a fight that breaks out. Tybalt comes looking to pick a fight, we know this because where he says “Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me; therefore turn and draw” this suggest to the reader that Tybalt is looking for a fight but he is unable to fine Romeo, but finds Mercutio and Benvolio instead and asks for Romeo. After some heated comments between Tybalt and Mercutio Romeo turns up and, and does not wish to fight Tybalt because unknowingly to Tybalt is now related to him (through marriage of Juliet) we know this because Romeo say’s “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” this tells the reader that Romeo is not wanting to fight Tybalt because he is now like a brother to him. But is confused and does not take the hint Romeo gave that he married Juliet and Start a fight with Mercutio because he is jumping in the way to defend Romeo but in the heat of the action Mercutio is wounded under Romeo's arm as Romeo tries to stop the fight. Tybalt leaves the scene after knowing that he has wounded Mercutio. Mercutio dies a slow and painful death in the arms of Romeo, Romeo swears revenge and chases after Tybalt and kills him.

In this scene there is a moment of relief for the audience when Tybalt loses interest in Mercutio because the audiences are scared for mercutio’s life, they know what tybalt can do and know that if they get on the wrong side of him can be very dangerous. When Romeo tries to stop his friend fighting with tybalt he get caught up with tybalt and mercutio and mercutio gets stabbed from under Romeos arm. This is because mercutio aggravates tybalt by insulting him, Romeos tries to stop them from fighting but by doing this leaves mercutio wide open for the blow in which tybalt gives. When Mercutio dies, he curses “A plague on both your houses” this means that Mercutio is cursing at both the Montague’s and the Capulet’s, Mercutio also says “why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm”, this tells the audience how that because Romeo came between the two that Mercutio was stabbed under Romeos arm. These words creates suspense for the audience, it gives them the feel of tension between the characters this is one of the main dramas in the play. From this we can sense the curse coming true- the arguments will probably never end so there will be more deaths, we can tell that Romeo blames himself because he feels that if he had not falling in love with Juliet he could of fought against Tybalt and maybe it would of been him dead not his best friend. This is the point where the play turns from a romance to a triadic because Romeo loses his senses and forgets Juliet. When Romeo kills tybalt, Romeo cries “o, I am fortune’s fool” this gives us the impression that we don’t know what Romeo will do now, this is also shown in the prologue where it says “star-cross’d lovers” at the start of the play. This means pair of lovers whose relationship is said to be doomed from the start of the play.

At the beginning of the play the Prince gives a speech to both the Montague’s and the Capulet’s, the Prince clearly states; “Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, profaners of this neighbour – stained steel- will they not hear?- what ho, you men, you beasts that quench the fire of your pernicious rage with purple fountains issuing for your veins on pain of torture, from those bloody hands throw your mistempered weapons to the ground, and hear the sentence of your moved prince. Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word by thee, old Capulet, and Montague have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets, and made ’s ancient citizens cast by their grave beseeming ornaments to wield old partisans, in hands as old, cankered with peace, to part your cankered hate; if ever you disturb our streets again. Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace, for this time all the rest depart away: you, Capulet, shall go along with me, and Montague, come you this afternoon, to old free-town, our common judgement-place, once more, on pain of death, all men depart”, this message was in the heads of both family’s while the arguments and fighting were going on in act 3, scene 1. People took this message into account because the Prince was feared across the land, to them he was the one level below God, the price says in his speech; “if you ever disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace”, this means that if the two family’s fight again in the streets and disturb the peace that they will pay by either being banished or by paying with there life by death.

When I first watched Franco zefirellis film version of the scene is different from Shakespeare version because they use guns instead of swords, the costumes are different and the death of mercutio is different because in Shakespeare version he dies by sword. If I was directing a stage version of this scene at our school, I would keep it original and go back to Shakespeare version by using swords and olden costumes.