Foils In Romeo And Juliet

Romeo vs. Mercutio

There are plenty of foils throughout the entire Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio and Romeo are two distinct foils of one another. Mercutio plays one of Romeo’s best friends. Romeo is one of the two protagonists in this play who is the son of Lord Montague. The two characters are near each other in almost every scene of the play. The scenes don’t have one without the other. The cynical, sophisticated Mercutio is a foil to the romantic, naïve Romeo.

Primarily, Romeo is one of the two main characters in this play. The play could not exist without him. Shakespeare uses indirect characterization to introduce Romeo. Romeo is originally described as a depressed, crying young boy. He stays in his room, wanders in the dark, and pulls the shade during the day. Romeo shares, “Griefs of my own lie heavy in my breast which thou wilt propagate, to have it Prest” (1.1.183-84). Romeo describes his grief and how he is holding a heavy burden. In the beginning of the play, Romeo was in love with a woman who didn’t want him back, Rosaline. His heart was filled with sorrow and he felt his life had no purpose.

As the story continues, Romeo becomes more love struck. In the play Romeo says Juliet has, “eyes in heaven that would through the airy

Romeo is trapped in his family’s rules while Mercutio is free to move around the kingdom. Romeo was at first very heartbroken and dull. Mercutio was lighthearted and fun-spirited. Mercutio displays his cheerful attitude in his historic Queen Mab monologue. He explains a dream he had to Romeo that had fairies and human items made out of bugs. Later in the story, Tybalt approaches Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio in the park and wants revenge because he knew the three of them snuck into the Capulet party. Romeo is now secretly married to Juliet, so he offers peace. Romeo foils to Mercutio because he doesn’t want to fight, but Mercutio