Through the Queen Mab speech in Act 1, Scene 4, the lines convey Mercutio’s vivid creativity and volatile personality while illustrating the duality of nature possessed in him. In turn, the lines performed show that fairies control the world he presents and that dreams are the outcome of passions and fears of men.
Setting and Atmosphere The setting and atmosphere that is portrayed when Mercutio delivers his Queen Mab speech is
Character’s Role With his wild ramblings of love, it is established that Mercutio is a man of excess who can mock Romeo as no one else can. However, his passions are greatly different from those that move Romeo to a forbidden love and Tybalt to the destructive nature of hate. Both of Tybalt’s and Romeo’s passions are based upon the ideals proclaimed by society: the importance of love and honour. Mercutio didn’t believe in either. Instead, Mercutio’s characterization is in contrast to the other
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Once the reader understands who Mercutio truly is, it is easy to question how he maintains a friendship with love stricken Romeo – a man whose personality is far from similar to Mercutio’s. Furthermore, the first encounter with the cynic establishes his relationship with the star-crossed lover as the two make comfortable remarks to one another. Despite this, it is still obvious that the two maintain an exceptional friendship. There is evidence to convey that Mercutio values the relationship he has with Romeo very much. Even though he masks more thoughtful feelings, his subtle words and actions clearly represents that he too cares for the boy’s wellbeing. This is evident when Mercutio states that Romeo has returned to his previous personality. Though Mercutio is unaware that Romeo has indeed married Juliet, he observed the change in his actions. Mercutio is a jester who taunts, however he has a non-superficial side: a gentle, caring persona that was rarely seen throughout the