There were many violent ends within the play that all began with Romeo and Juliet’s forbidden love, and one was the passing of five characters. Mercutio was a relative to the prince and as such he was untouchable. On the other hand he also subtly chose sides. Being friends with the Montagues was the beginning of the road to his death. He was an extremely witty person within the play constantly making jokes, but he also had a vivid imagination coming up with eloquent stories for the trio to hear.
Jennifer Romo English 9 Hr 2 12/11/15 Romeo and Juliet: Mercutio’s Impact A lot is lost when dealing with book to movie portrayals. Although it’s mostly small details that do not contribute to the story, personalities of the characters often change. Mercutio from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a victim of this change. In the play, Mercutio acted as a foil for Romeo with little understanding of love.
Mercutio is the one who persuaded Romeo to go to the Capulets masquerade ball. Even though Romeo had a gut feeling that going to the party would lead to his death. Which it did since Mercutio was persistent and made Romeo go to the ball. This lead to Romeo meeting Juliet which eventually lead to their deaths. Mercutio is also to blame for his aggressive behaviour.
Mercutio quickly calls him out, claiming “dreamers often lie” (I.4.56) and dreams are “nothing but vain fantasy” (I.4.105-107). Mercutio suggests his beliefs are skeptical and dreams do not show fate, aren’t genuine, and don’t pertain to the real world. Finally, Romeo, who sulks over love, is told by Mercutio to “borrow Cupid’s wings” and “soar with them above a common bound” (I.4.17-18). Mercutio tries to get Romeo over love, and Romeo responds negatively, saying he is too sore to fly due to the shot of Cupid’s arrow. This displays Mercutio’s optimistic and Romeo’s pessimistic personalities.
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, through the first three acts, Mercutio is the most important character because he participates in all of the major parts of the play. To illustrate, Mercutio is involved in a very pivotal scene where Tybalt is being arrogant and trying to get into fights with the Montagues. Mercutio antagonistically says to Tybalt, “And but one word with one of us? Couple it with / something; make it a word and a blow” leading to a Tybalt and Mercutio fight that Tybalt ultimately wins in the end (3.1.35-36). Romeo fights for Mercutios honor and ends up killing Tybalt.
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
From the very start Romeo and Mercutio were side by side, this means that Mercutio had a great effect on Romeo's decisions, starting with the night Romeo met Juliet, which in the end leads to his unforgettable death. The night of the Capulets ball Mercutio convinces Romeo to go, to help with the grieving of his loss of love over Rosalie. “Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance”(shakespeare, pg 389) This line in turn leads to what eventually becomes the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo then meets, and falls in love with the Capulet daughter, Juliet.
Connor Flanigan Mr. Zamanis English 9 6 March 2024 Romeo & Juliet Few characters are capable of bringing comedy and truth into a play like Mercutio can. Mercutio is one of the key characters in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. This play is a tragedy of two young starstruck lovers, in the midst of a family rivalry that causes them to inevitably die together. Mercutio, Romeo's best friend, is viewed by many as one of Shakespeare’s greatest characters. He is one of Shakespeare’s greatest characters because of his loyalty, humor, and confidence.
SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016. These quotes mean that Mercutio was telling Romeo to do something about his sadness and go have fun, to dance, and find a new love to satisfy his sadness. So Romeo did by finding, marrying, and dying for Juliet. Which caused Juliet (a Capulet) kill herself because she loved Romeo (a Montague).
In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare there are several characters that may be responsible for the tragedy. Though, while reading the story, a reader may come to the conclusion that Mercutio is truly responsible for the tragedy, because of his involvement in Romeo meeting Juliet. Mercutio is truly responsible for Romeo and Juliet's death, because he tried to coerce Romeo into going to a capsule party even as a montague and succeeded. After being rejected by Rosaline, Romeo is very sad, and upon seeing this Mercutio has an idea to cheer him up going to a party with him. The problem is that they are montagues and their family and the capulets have been feuding for generations.
Mercutio tries to persuade Romeo to join them in going to the Capulet's feast. Romeo takes love very seriously and yearning for Rosaline, while Mercutio treats love as a joke. He makes fun of Romeo when he talks about Queen Mab (Act 1, Scene 4, Line 53). When Romeo says he cannot join them because he feels too forlorn and disheartened, Mercutio tells Romeo to “Borrow Cupid's wings and soar with them above a common bound” (Act 1, Scene 4, Line 17). Furthermore, when Romeo argues that love is “too rough, rude and boist’rous” and that it "pricks like a thorn," Mercutio instead tells him some clever remarks, “If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down”.
Throughout the whole play both Romeo and Mercutio were there for each other when in need of a friend or even just some comforting words. Mercutio always seems to say the right things to put Romeo back on track and in focus. While Romeo was relentlessly weeping over his unrequited love for Rosaline, Mercutio, with his wise and caring words said, “‘Why is not this not better than groaning for love? Now art thou sociable.
Romeo and his two relatives, Mercutio and Benvolio, are preparing to enter the Capulet House. It is a costume party, thankfully, so everyone is in costumes, giving them the chance to use masks to hide their true identities. Romeo, still distraught from the Rosaline incident, wonders how they will get into the Capulet's’ feast since they are Montagues. Romeo also displays the theme light vs dark when he then asks them for the torch. He says,‘“Give me a torch.
This reflects Romeo's resilience to go against all the societal norms and restrictions, as he is constantly being reminded how he is going against his family. This quote shows Romeo's determination and willingness to take risks for love, demonstrating how he has changed from the young immature boy seen in the beginning of the play compared to this well-developed young man. Finally, Mercutio’s friendship with Romeo shows how Romeo will stay loyal despite the situation; showing his development is deeper than what strikes the eye. For instance, in Act 1 Mercutio is teasing Romeo about his good-spirited mood, trying to convince him to go to the party, "Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance." (Act 1, Scene 4)
Gifted in wit, manipulation, and powers of diversion, both Menenius and Mercutio were characters that worked more or less behind the scenes, shrouded in the shadows of their stories’ heroes and left to scheme without interference. For Romeo, Mercutio is a friend, advisor (though his advice is occasionally unscrupulous, at best), and protector, who cares dearly about Romeo and his wellbeing. Mercutio makes it his ultimate goal to keep Romeo “on track”; however, what Romeo sees as his path in life is a very different one than Mercutio sees for him. Romeo has a tendency to walk with his head in the clouds, dreaming of romance and peace, falling in love left and right, paying no attention to the harsh reality he lives in. Mercutio wants to make sure Romeo stays rooted to the ground, so he doesn’t fly off completely and leave Mercutio behind.
