William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, provides great foils for the main character, Romeo. Shakespeare includes many foils throughout his stories to make his character’s emotions, attitude, and characteristics more apparent. Romeo’s character traits, lovestruck, cowardness, and emotional are highlighted through his foils, best friend Mercutio, and enemy, Tybalt. Romeo’s foils help to make his character’s personality stronger and clear. One character trait that’s highlighted through Tybalt is Romeo’s complete awe and love for Juliet. While Romeo is single-mindedly focused on love, Tybalt is more focused on pride. When Romeo first meets Juliet he completely disregards their family fued and states, “I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.” (II, ii, 49-51) Romeo is completely giving up his pride, his family name, and surrendering so he can love Juliet. Tybalt highlights this by disregarding anything that comes in the way of …show more content…
Romeo is very fixated on love, easily heartbroken, and depressed. These traits are more obvious as Mercutio’s humor and his ability to be reasonable lighten the rather dark shadow Romeo carries. Mercutio’s line, “If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.” (I, iv, 27-28) Mercutio is making light of Romeo’s deep depressing love for Rosaline, he’s mocking love and making it a joke. This creates an emphasis on Romeo’s utter affixation with love. Mercutio’s playfulness and ability to make a serious subject humorous and reasonable bring out the deep, dark, and depressing side of Romeo, who is completely the opposite when it comes to love. Romeo does not see love as a joke and we see him fall into a depression, Mercutio only makes this sadness more apparent as he talks so jokingly of love. Shakespeare uses Mercutio to lighten Romeo’s depression and make it more