William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Act 3: Scene 1 Romeo and Juliet of the Montague and Capulet households lead normal lives until the unfortunate revival of an old hatred between their families. Both loathe this “grudge” and were united in passionate love after Romeo had his first sights at the fair Juliet at her family’s annual ball. Tybalt, Juliet’s rude & troublesome cousin, hates Romeo and is intent at killing him for ‘gate crashing’ the Capulet’s ball. However, Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin, along with Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, wants a fight with Tybalt, but are stopped with the prospect of being executed by the Prince, Mercutio’s kinsman and ruler of Verona, who is troubled by the violence that has befallen the city, following the endless fights. The tragic tale concludes with the death of Romeo and his beloved wife, Juliet. However, what could have caused this catastrophic consequence of the hatred? The answer is based in Act 3 Scene 1. “The day is hot; The Capels are abroad, And if we meet we shall not scrape a brawl” These are the words of Benvolio who has been warned by the Prince to avoid a fight or be executed. The scene is set in a public place and Benvolio is talking with Mercutio. Shakespeare creates nail-biting suspense by opening this act with an argument on the subject of fighting. This argument is not a surprise but it perfectly builds a tense atmosphere where a duel is almost inevitable. The quarrel rose when Benvolio requested the two depart and avoid a likely fight. Mercutio, surprised by this request, argues that Benvolio is the troublesome man and needs very little of an excuse to create trouble or fight. As the quarrel proceeds further, the Capulets and Tybalt arrives. Tybalt is a troublesome character, who grabs every opportunity he gets to fight and create havoc. Also known as the ‘ King of Cats’ due to escaping death like a cats nine lives, he has vowed to seize vengeance on Romeo for disrespecting his household at their annual ball.