Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a play with many things that contradict each other, weaving comedy and tragedy together to create a heart-stopping play. In addition, the dynamics between the characters Mercutio and Romeo are especially important in the play.
Mercutio is a complex character with many different sides to him. His silliness gave the play the light-heartedness it needed. But his death was even more so impactful due to the emotional tie that had formed between the character and the audience.
BENVOLIO. O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio is dead! That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds, Which too untimely here did scorn the earth.
ROMEO. This day’s black fate on moe days doth depend; This but the woe others must end. (3.1.121)
These lines show Romeo’s rising anger towards Tybalt. It reveals a part of Romeo that was not yet introduced. The side that wants revenge but also shows the brotherly bond
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Mercutio had a way of affecting the characters and showing a new or more detailed side to them. Especially during the climax, his death is significant because it was his choice/or Romeo’s submission that eventually led to their downfalls. As stated in the previous paragraphs, Mercutio had the role of a tragic comedian and he has an emotional impact on the audience. Shakespeare is known to write tragedies, comedies as well as historicals. But Shakespeare's most well-known play Romeo and Juliet has a variety of feelings. Out of those 3 genres he also never forgot to weave some comedy/light-heartedness in to keep the readers emotionally balanced. Each of these is connected to the mood of the scene or setting and pacing. This keeps the audience entertained. Shakespeare knew that dragging an unimportant scene out for too long will bore the audience and vice versa.
The reason why Shakespeare decided to blend the 2 genres is to keep the play