Final answer:
Act III, Scene I of 'Romeo and Juliet' involves Mercutio and Tybalt's fatal altercations and Romeo's banishment, leading to a series of events that escalate towards the climax of the play.
Step-by-step explanation:
The events of Act III, Scene I, from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, must be arranged in the following order:
- The scene opens with Mercutio and Benvolio talking.
- Tybalt arrives and approaches Mercutio with an aggressive tone, looking for Romeo.
- Romeo appears, and Tybalt challenges him, but Romeo refuses to fight.
- Mercutio steps in and fights Tybalt instead.
- Romeo tries to stop the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt but inadvertently causes Mercutio to be fatally wounded.
- Enraged by Mercutio's death, Romeo then fights and kills Tybalt to avenge his friend.
- Following Tybalt's death, Benvolio convinces Romeo to flee.
- The Prince arrives, hears from Benvolio about what happened, and declares Romeo's banishment.
The climax of Romeo and Juliet is not found in this scene, but rather towards the end of the play, specifically when Juliet is found 'dead' in the tomb and Romeo, unaware that she is still alive, kills himself. Juliet then wakes, sees Romeo dead, and kills herself. This moment is the peak of the tension and the play's turning point. The resolution arrives when Friar Laurence explains the tragic sequence of events to both families, which leads to the moral conclusion that hate only leads to more tragedy.