Senseless Violence: "A Curse on Both Your Houses"

In the third act of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” violence is the topic of discussion as soon as the dialogue between Benvolio and Mercutio begins. The young men make interesting claims about the times violence is necessary and when it is foolish. Benvolio seems like the sensible one at first when he suggests they return home in order to avoid a quarrel with the “Capels” (III. i. 2). Mercutio points out that Benvolio is “like one of [those] fellows that, when he enters the confines of a tavern, claps me his sword / upon the table” (III. i. 5-6) and then ends up fighting anyway. The idea that a man would claim to avoid violence at all costs but then act in violence against his word shows that fighting is shameful. It would be far more dignified to resist the temptation to fight. However, male characters in this play seem to be easily persuaded to act in violence.

Mercutio continues to ridicule Benvolio for his hypocrisy when he points out past quarrels in which Benvolio fought for frivolous reasons. He calls attention to times in which Benvolio quarreled with a man for “wearing his new doublet before Easter” (III. i. 27) and another “for tying his new shoes with old ribbon” (III. i. 28). By pointing out this weakness about Benvolio, Shakespeare sets up anticipation for a quarrel to begin when Tybalt and other Capulets enter the scene.

Once again, Romeo is not portrayed as a typical male character in the play. While Mercutio draws his sword against Tybalt, Romeo tries to intervene. He is a member of the family in which the Capulets despise, and he tries to avoid the violence. His urge to stop the violence is somewhat feminine and goes against everything the male characters had just been discussing. Unfortunately, his attempt to break up the fight is the very reason Mercutio is killed. The stage directions indicate that just as Romeo forces himself in between the two characters, Tybalt stabs Mercutio under Romeo’s arm (III. i. 90-91). The violence used by Shakespeare in this scene shows the senselessness of fighting without reason. This idea parallels the entire conflict between the Capulets and Montegues, a conflict with little known cause.