Hello and welcome to "Read it and (Don't) Weep," the podcast that will help you breeze through your high school literature classes. Are you tired of struggling to understand the themes and characters in classic works of literature? Well, I’ve got you covered! I am your host, Jackey Taggart, and I taught high school English for almost 20 years.
Join me each episode as I dive into the world of high school literature and break down the essential elements of each work. From Shakespeare to Steinbeck, I'll cover it all. My goal is to give you valuable insights and analysis on some of the most popular high school literary texts, as well as tips and tricks for acing your tests and essays. Let’s start reading!
Hello again! We have made it to Act 3, and I want to start by reminding you of Friar Lawrence’s warning to Romeo in Act 2, scene 6. Friar Lawrence cautioned, "These violent delights have violent ends," meaning things that start intensely and can end badly. Romeo should have listened more carefully because life is about to take a sharp turn. If you have not yet read Act 1 and 2, it would be a good idea to get caught up with your reading and listen to my other episodes before continuing.
Act 3, Scene 1
Act 3 opens in a public place in Verona, Benvolio is trying to get Mercutio to chill out and go home because he's worried they'll run into the Capulets and end up fighting. Remember back in Act 1, Scene 4, I explained that Benvolio was the peacekeeper, and Mercutio was the wild man. We see that again here with Benvolio trying to keep peace in Verona. Benvolio says, “The day is hot, the Capulets abroad. / And, if we meet, we shall not ‘scape a brawl.” Quick weather reference – it is hot, always a signal to the audience that the plot is heating up and something is about to happen.
Mercutio teases Benvolio, saying he's just as quick to fight as anyone saying Benvolio would start a fight for various reasons such as someone cracking nuts, or someone coughing in the street, or because they woke up your sleeping dog. Mercutio also uses a pair of similes saying, “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 quarreling.” Basically, Benvolio’s mind is filled with reasons to fight just like an egg is filled with yolk, and he has been hit on the head so many times while fighting that his brain is scrambled like an egg. Mercutio is essentially calling Benvolio a hypocrite. If a fight were to break out, they would both jump in. Big time foreshadowing here!
Tybalt shows up, looking for Romeo. Remember, Tybalt has challenged Romeo to a duel. At first, Mercutio just taunts Tybalt until Romeo enters. Tybalt turns his attention to Romeo and tries to engage Romeo in a fight. Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt saying, “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 mine own – be satisfied.” What does this mean? Well, Romeo is trying to tell Tybalt that he doesn’t want to fight him. He has his reasons for caring about Tybalt , which the audience knows is because he has secretly married Juliet, which no one knows – not even his good buddies Benvolio and Mercutio. Technically, Romeo and Tybalt are now family. So, Romeo asks Tybalt to trust him and not be angry.
Mercutio is like, are you kidding me? You are going to let him just walk away? Tybalt takes Mercutio’s challenge and is prepared to fight Mercutio. Romeo tries to calm Mercutio, but Mercutio will not back down. The two fight, Romeo tries to prevent Mercutio from fighting, but Tybalt sneaks a hit on Mercutio under Romeo's arm and fatally wounds Mercutio. He is carried off stage, but not before shouting, “"a plague o' both your houses! / They have made worms’ meat of me.” Benvolio comes back moments later to tell Romeo that Mercutio is dead.
Romeo, angry about Mercutio's death, confronts Tybalt and kills him. He then runs away shouting, “O, I am fortune’s fool!” Immediately after killing Tybalt, Romeo realizes he messed up big time. In this comment, he believes fate is playing a cruel game with him, making him a fool. He realizes that his impulsive actions, that Friar Lawrence warned him about, have now changed the direction of his life. Here is the reversal of fortune!
As Romeo exits, a crowd of citizens enter. They are looking for Tybalt because he killed Mercutio, but Benvolio show them Tybalt’s body. At this point, Prince Escalus, Lord Montage, Lord Capulet, and their wives enter. Benvolio explains what happened – Tybalt had challenged Romeo to a duel, but Romeo refused. So, Mercutio challenged Tybalt, Romeo tried to prevent the fight, but Tybalt killed Mercutio. In a fit of rage, Romeo killed Tybalt. but Lady Capulet thinks he is lying to save Romeo. Then, Lord Montague tries to argue that Romeo was justified in killing Tybalt because he killed Romeo’s best buddy, Mercutio – a life for a life.
Prince Escalus decides that Romeo may have been justified in his actions, but I told all of you that I would not tolerate any more fighting in my streets. Therefore, Romeo is banished from Verona, never to return again. If he does come back, he will be killed.
Do you think Prince Escalus is justified in his decision? Is his punishment for Romeo fair? Would you recommend a fairer punishment in a society without trials by jury? Take a few minutes to jot your ideas down in your reading journal. You may want to include specific details from the text to support your response.
So, Romeo and Juliet’s secret marriage makes everything even more difficult. Not sure how they are going to be able to stay together at this point. Let’s jump into the next scene and see what happens.
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Act 3, Scene 2
As Act 3, Scene 2 opens, Juliet is waiting for Romeo. In this soliloquy, Juliet is eagerly waiting for night to come so she can be with Romeo. She uses a lot of imagery related to night and day to express her impatience and desire. She's also unaware at this point of the tragic events that have just unfolded, Romeo's killing of Tybalt, which makes her words even more poignant. She says, “ Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow’d night, . Give me my Romeo; and when he shall die, / Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine / That all the world will be in love with the night / And pay no worship to the garish sun.” Basically, she is saying, Come dark, gentle night, give me my Romeo, and when he dies, turn him into little stars in the night sky. He will make the sky look so beautiful that everyone will fall in love with the night and no longer care about the bright sun.
This is where the audience will get to see Juliet’s reversal of fortune. She has been anxiously waiting for her new husband to come to her, but her happiness is about to be cut short.
At this point the Nurse enters carrying the rope ladder, but she is distressed and starts saying, “He is dead!” over and over. Juliet immediately thinks the Nurse is referring to Romeo. She thinks Romeo was killed or might have killed himself. But, after a bit, she figures out that Romeo killed Tybalt, her cousin. Juliet is in complete shock! The Nurse then tells her that Romeo has been banished from Verona. Juliet is conflicted and launches into her second soliloquy in the scene. Should she be upset that Romeo killed her cousin, Tybalt, or should she support her new husband? Which should I be more upset about, Tybalt’s death or Romeo’s banishment? She's torn between her loyalty to her family and her love for Romeo. By the end of her soliloquy, she realizes that Romeo's banishment is a fate worse than death for her, as it means they can't be together.
At this point, Juliet is so overwhelmed with grief, she considers using the rope ladder to commit suicide. Her world has turned upside down and her joy turned to sorrow. Her reversal of fortune. The Nurse, seeing Juliet so overwhelmed with grief, promises to go to Friar Lawrence’s cell to find Romeo. Juliet gives the Nurse a ring for Romeo as a token of her love.
This is probably one of the most dramatic scenes in the play. It relates to the themes of love, of violence, and of family loyalties. It shows the audience the deep love between Romeo and Juliet while also showing the devastating consequences of the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues.
What are your thoughts? Should Juliet side with her family and turn her back on her new husband? Or is she justified in turning her back on her family to be loyal to Romeo? Take a few minutes to jot your ideas down in your reading journal. You may want to include specific details from the text to support your response.
Thanks for listening to this episode of Read it and (Don’t) Weep. Be sure to subscribe to the show so you will be notified when new episodes are released. If you liked today’s show, please leave a review so others can discover my show. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, drop me an email at readitanddontweep@gmail.com, or reach out to me on social media. I would love to hear from you. The links are in the show notes.
Thank you for listening. I am Jackey Taggart and remember to Read It and Don’t Weep.
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