Mercutio Essay

Zoe Pavletich 3/6/24 English 8E R+J Essay Mercutio Character Analysis Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a play set in Verona, Italy, in the 13th century. It follows the story of a pair of starcrossed lovers, named Romeo Montague Capulet and Juliet, from the growth and development of their relationship in the midst of a violent feud between their families, to their eventual tragic suicide. While the play begins as a romantic comedy, it turns into a tragedy in Act 3 with the death of Romeo’s friend Mercutio, and Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. In playwriting, a tragedy is the story of a character's tragic flaw, which is a strength that becomes their weakness, and eventually leads to their downfall. While the play's main tragedy is about Romeo

While Mercutio initially seems like a comedic and joyful character, during the play, his facade slowly falls apart, revealing his tragic character. His tragic flaw, performance, is initially a strength, as it makes Mercutio a unique and charming character. As the play progresses, however, Mercutio’s nonstop performance hinders his ability to form connections with others, as he is always hiding behind a facade. Eventually, his inability to be vulnerable and his concern with how he is perceived leads to his untimely demise. At first, Mercutio’s constant performance is a strength, as it makes him an appealing and unique character. Mercutio first appears in the play in Act 1, Scene 4, when the Montague boys go to the Capulet party. Throughout this scene, Romeo is dispirited and lovesick due to his unrequited love for Juliet’s cousin, Rosaline, and dejectedly talks about love; on the contrary, the other boys, including Mercutio and Benvolio, are eager and excited for the

While these start off as humorous and lighthearted, by the end of their search his jokes have become offensive and obscene. Mercutio’s strange performance continued the next morning, when Benvolio and Mercutio were once again looking for Romeo. During their quick-witted banter, they approach the subject of Tybalt, and Mercutio begins bitterly ridiculing him; he mocks Tybalt’s proper upper-class manners and behavior, believing him to be pretentious and conceited. While talking about the way Tybalt fights, Mercutio scoffs at how “he rests his minimum rests, one, two, and the third. a duelist, a duelist,. Ah, the immortal passado, the punto reverso, the hay!” Unlike in the Queen Mab speech, where Mercutio’s performance is full of magical descriptions and innocuous jokes, here it heavily relies on crude jokes and mockery in order to entertain his friends. Moreover, Mercutio utilizes hyper specific insults, showing how he also has an intimate knowledge of all of these subjects; he is acting hypocritically, as he has the same traits that he is belittling others for