Elizabeth A. Johnson
This model uses the scene when Romeo murders Tybalt. This is not included in the suggested scenes for performance for reasons given there. If you choose to give students this scene for performance, do not give it as a model for this lesson. Students will have a tendency to use the answers provided.
This can be copied and pasted into a word processing program so that there are two sheets for each student: One sheet has just the questions; the other has the questions and models. It is helpful for students to be able to look at these side-by-side.
Thinking About Character
For Act III scene i lines 71-98 in which Romeo murders Tybalt:
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1.) In one to two sentences, describe what happens in your scene.
In this scene, Romeo avenges his friend Mercutio's death by killing Tybalt. Astonished at what he has done, Tybalt runs away.
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2.) What does your character want in this scene? In other words, what are his or her goals?
Romeo's goal is to avenge Mercutio's death.
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3.) What is the effect on the other characters in this scene?
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The effects are fatal. Tybalt dies in the sword fight. Benvolio sees that he has been slain, and tells Romeo to run away. Soon, Prince and the families will see what has happened. Prince banishes Romeo for his conduct.
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4.) What is the character's tone of voice? How is this shown? What words signal this to readers or an audience?
Romeo's tone is harsh, enraged, and determined, and hurt. Once he has killed Tybalt, though, he says, "Oh, I am fortune's fool!" This shows that he feels confused and tricked.
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5.) How does this character's tone of voice affect the other characters in the scene?
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Romeo's tone of voice enrages Tybalt, but Tybalt is a brash character from the start. Romeo threatens Tybalt saying, "Either thou, or I, or both must go with him." These words mean that Romeo will kill Tybalt if Tybalt does not kill him first. Therefore, Tybalt decides to fight.
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6.) What happens to this character as a result of his or her actions in this scene?
Romeo is banished because he kills Tybalt. Ultimately, he kills himself because of a misunderstanding. If he had not killed Tybalt, he would not have been banished, and he would not have missed any information.
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7.) Do we know a character by what they say or by what they do, or is it a combination? Give examples to explain your answer.
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We know a character by his or her reputation and actions. For example, Romeo wants to make peace with Tybalt because they are now related by marriage. However, when Tybalt kills Mercutio by accident, Romeo goes into a vengeful rage and kills Tybalt. Furthermore, Romeo does not see this death as his own doing, he sees it as a result of destiny, claiming, "O, I am fortune's fool!" Therefore, we know that Romeo does not believe that he can control himself, even if he tried. Moreover, he feels anger over his fate, feeling powerless to circumstances in his life. Even though Romeo said that he means to harm to Tybalt, he cannot pass the test.
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8.) It is important to remember that Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, and not real. Still, what can we learn from the goals and actions of the characters?
(No model given to allow for a range of student answers.)