In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, we
see love initiate hate, but also love manages to conquer hate when Juliet has to face
the death of Tybalt at Romeo's hand.
In Act Three, scene
one, Tybalt and Mercutio are trading insults and then thrusts of their swords as the
hot-headed Tybalt pushes all the right buttons and Mercutio begins to fight with him.
Romeo arrives on the scene. He has been transported by joy in his marriage to Juliet.
Tybalt wants to fight him, but Romeo declares only love for Tybalt. When Romeo steps
between the two fighting men, Tybalt takes a cheap shot under Romeo's arm, delivering a
fatal blow to Mercutio, and then runs off.
Mercutio knows
he will die from this wound, and curses both houses—Capulet and Montague. After Mercutio
is carried off, Benvolio returns to report his death. Romeo is so enraged by Tybalt's
unscrupulous behavior, and devastated by the loss of his friend, that when Tybalt
returns, Romeo engages him in battle and Tybalt falls dead. Romeo has killed one of his
in-laws.
In Act Three, scene two, Juliet is anxiously
waiting for the time to pass so that she and Romeo can celebrate their wedding night.
The Nurse arrives and reports "death" to Juliet. There is confusion at first as to
who is dead: at one point Juliet believes that both her cousin
Tybalt and her new husband have died. Once the Nurse clarifies her
speech, Juliet's first response for the man she loves is hatred for his murder of
Tybalt. She calls him names and laments how someone so beautiful could have such
ugliness inside.
At one point, Juliet uses a metaphor
comparing Romeo to a handsome "palace" with deceit inside, to a beautifully bound book
containing "vile" contents. Juliet asks:
readability="7">Was ever book containing such vile matter
So fairly bound? O, that deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous
palace! (III.ii.86-88)Then
the Nurse complains of all men, saying they are dishonest, liars, deceivers, their
promises mean nothing and they cannot be trusted, especially
Romeo.readability="10">There's no trust,
No faith, no
honesty in men; all perjur'd,(90)
All forsworn, all naught...
Shame come to Romeo!
(III.ii.89-94)Hearing this,
Juliet that quickly has changed her mind and scolds the Nurse. Juliet
chides:readability="5">Blister'd be thy tongue
For such a
wish! He was not born to shame. (lines
95-96)The Nurse asks Juliet
how she can defend the man who killed her cousin.Juliet
spends some time chastising herself for her faithlessness to Romeo, while asking how he
could have killed Tybalt. She quickly reasons that had he not
killed Tybalt, her hot-headed cousin would surely have murdered her husband
instead.But
wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin?
That villain cousin would have
kill'd my husband. (lines
105-106)In other words,
Juliet's love of Tybalt initiates hate against her love for Romeo when she first hears
that he has killed her cousin. However, her great love for Romeo allows Juliet to
conquer her ill-feelings toward him, knowing that had Romeo not killed Tybalt, her
cousin would certainly have taken the life of her "three hours'"
husband.
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