Theme Of Dueling In Romeo And Juliet
Would Romeo and Juliet have ended in such tragedy without the final duel? The duel is a critical part of the plot with young boys, family rivalries and fighting for honor. The audience is prepared for a fight with the words “if we meet we shall not escape a brawl, for now, these hot days, is the blood stirring” in line 3 and 4 of act 3. In Act 2, scene 4, Tybalt, one of Juliet’s cousins, challenges Romeo to a duel. “Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here, slat with him hence.” Romeo says, “This shall determine that.” They fight, and Romeo slays Tybalt and the tragedy continues to unfold.
The art of dueling as described in Romeo and Juliet has significance for that time in history. The final duel might have been one of the most
familiar and expected things in the play by the audience. In the late sixth century, men usually used the art of dueling to protect something, to show wit, for revenge, or to protect family honor. For instance, in line 133 of act 3 Romeo and Tybalt are fighting to the death because Romeo wants revenge on Tybalt for killing Mercutio, Romeo’s friend. In line 72 of act 5, Paris challenges Romeo because he thinks that Romeo is going to cause trouble in Juliet’s tomb. The outcome of the fight is Paris dying, but Paris felt that he needed to protect Juliet’s tomb from harm. And, Tybalt and Mercutio insist that honor is the reason they want to fight. The duel has existed for much of history, but the first duels were guided by rules that originated in the sixth century. Rulers “decided that differences could be settled through trial by combat,” said author Arthur Krystal in an article for New Yorker. The rulers thought that this was the easiest way to allow a man revenge with the least amount of bloodshed. There were two types of duels, the judicial duel, which was legal and judged by officials, and the duel of honor, which was illegal. Even though the duel of honor was illegal, there was still a code of conduct that was always kept. The rules promoted a fair fight to make sure the winner won out of skill and not deceit. Times and dates were set so that there were no surprise sword fights. Also, the challenger wrote a letter to the challenged telling them the offense and how they could repay it without a duel.
Swords were initially the common dueling weapons. When guns were first used in duels, they had about the same percentage of injury as swords, and because of this they were not seen as better weapons. As guns improved in the 1900s, swords could hardly be seen as the better weapon anymore, and new rules for proper gunmanship regulated duels. To make pistol duels more exciting, and “more fair”, the instruction to aim was no longer applied. Duelers had to fire immediately or else feel the bullet of the other man's quickly fired gun. With the change in weapons and the passing of time, the art of the duel as portrayed in Romeo and Juliet eventually faded from history.
The art of dueling as described in Romeo and Juliet has significance for that time in history. The final duel might have been one of the most
familiar and expected things in the play by the audience. In the late sixth century, men usually used the art of dueling to protect something, to show wit, for revenge, or to protect family honor. For instance, in line 133 of act 3 Romeo and Tybalt are fighting to the death because Romeo wants revenge on Tybalt for killing Mercutio, Romeo’s friend. In line 72 of act 5, Paris challenges Romeo because he thinks that Romeo is going to cause trouble in Juliet’s tomb. The outcome of the fight is Paris dying, but Paris felt that he needed to protect Juliet’s tomb from harm. And, Tybalt and Mercutio insist that honor is the reason they want to fight. The duel has existed for much of history, but the first duels were guided by rules that originated in the sixth century. Rulers “decided that differences could be settled through trial by combat,” said author Arthur Krystal in an article for New Yorker. The rulers thought that this was the easiest way to allow a man revenge with the least amount of bloodshed. There were two types of duels, the judicial duel, which was legal and judged by officials, and the duel of honor, which was illegal. Even though the duel of honor was illegal, there was still a code of conduct that was always kept. The rules promoted a fair fight to make sure the winner won out of skill and not deceit. Times and dates were set so that there were no surprise sword fights. Also, the challenger wrote a letter to the challenged telling them the offense and how they could repay it without a duel.
Swords were initially the common dueling weapons. When guns were first used in duels, they had about the same percentage of injury as swords, and because of this they were not seen as better weapons. As guns improved in the 1900s, swords could hardly be seen as the better weapon anymore, and new rules for proper gunmanship regulated duels. To make pistol duels more exciting, and “more fair”, the instruction to aim was no longer applied. Duelers had to fire immediately or else feel the bullet of the other man's quickly fired gun. With the change in weapons and the passing of time, the art of the duel as portrayed in Romeo and Juliet eventually faded from history.