ipl-logo

Mercutio's Personality

702 Words3 Pages

Mercutio is a highly unique character in William Shakespears Romeo and Juliet. His complex, dynamic personality as well as the blend of comedy, and tragedy, does not solely impact the characters in the play, but he audience as well.

Mercutio helps reveal & develop Romeo's personality significantly throughout the play. Being that these two characters' personalities differ so greatly, Mercutio's energetic and humorous personality trait tends to rub off on Romeo directly (through his advice) and indirectly (through his actions). A prime example of this is when Mercutio says to Romeo `` If love be rough with you, be rough with love: Prick love for pricking and you beat love down. Give me a case to put my visage in. A visor for a visor!” (Act …show more content…

Call her forth to me.
Now by my maidenhead at twelve year old,
I made her come.” ( Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 2-3)
The Nurse's first words within the play is an inappropriate pun regarding Juliet's age. This most likely got a laugh out of the audience, and set the tone for what type of character The Nurse is. The characters alone does not solely contribute to the entire comedic tragedy, but the pacing of the story makes it all the more tragic. The fact that the entire plot and unfortunate events which occur in the play happens all within a couple days, makes the story more devastating.

Mercutio's silly and vigorous personality in William Shakespears Romeo and Juliet affects the plot, characters, storyline, audience, and overall vibe of the play a substantial amount. His playfulness, puns, and actions help contribute a lighthearted feeling of the play, as well as a serious one. Mercutio is potentially in the top most well written characters in all of theater, his complex personality as well as the large role he had in the outcome of the play is far too fascinating to be left alone. The entire concept in the mixture of both these qualities in a play is truly unique, and is one of the main reasons Romeo and Juliet is so big now, and then! Shakespeare's work has such an immense influence on countless plays, stories and writers. References from Shakespeare are still used commonly four centuries later, which is why his work should be studied. To show people

Show More
Related

Mercutio Brave Quotes

553 Words | 3 Pages

Mercutio is one of the most intelligent characters is this play. In this quote Mercutio is telling Romeo that he shouldn't let a dream he had keep him from doing what he wants. "True I talk of dreams which are children of an idle brain. Begot from nothing but vain fantasy; Which is thin of substance as the air, and more inconsistent than the air. Who woos even now the frozen bosom of the north and being angered puffs away from thence turning his face to the dew dropping south.

Read More

How Does Mercutio Fight In Romeo And Juliet

418 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More

Essay On Foils In Romeo And Juliet

848 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More

Foils In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

623 Words | 3 Pages

Mercutio is different from Romeo because he does not believe in love and makes fun of Romeo and falling in love so heavily all the time. When Romeo describes his love for Rosaline using a rose with thorns as a metaphor. Mercutio laughs and says ”If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking and you beat love down”(I.4.27-28). In another scenario of Romeo and Mercutio’s foils is when Romeo tells his friends about a dream he had about the party and is expecting a disastrous outcome of the party. Mercutio makes fun of Romeo because he does not believe that dreams can become visions of impending danger.

Read More

Mercutio's Impact On Romeo And Juliet

1098 Words | 5 Pages

Mercutio, the Forgotten Impact Romeo and Juliet , written by William Shakespeare, is one of the most beloved and influential plays in the history of humanity. It is a magnificent love story where audiences get to witness the drama and events that lead to the death of the two star-crossed lovers. Many wonderful characters in Romeo and Juliet are loved, but no character had such a vibrant personality and is able to steal the spotlight the way Mercutio does. He speaks in many scenes where he uses his humorous phrases to amaze and make his audiences laugh like when Mercutio convinces Romeo to dance, which in turn allows Romeo to fall in love with Juliet and Mercutio's Queen Mab speech which uses sexual humor for comedic effect. However, even though

Read More

The Nurse's Predicament In Romeo And Juliet

853 Words | 4 Pages

It would have been impossible for Juliet to even communicate with Romeo if it weren’t for the nurse. The nurse blindly followed Juliet's orders without thinking of the results her words and actions could cause. Juliet looks up to the nurse who has taken care of her for years. When the nurse provides Juliet with no initial guidance Juliet is forced into making the decision of staying loyal  to her husband or staying with her

Read More

Romeo And Juliet Foil Essay

875 Words | 4 Pages

Romeo’s humor is very lack-luster and Romeo himself is more sensitive, so he doesn't crack a lot of jokes, while Mercutio on the other hand loves to have a good laugh and makes a lot of jokes himself. Mercutio is a very optimistic man, but will definitely fight someone if it is anywhere near needed. Differently, Romeo is very against violence and tries to stop any fights that build up. Finally, Mercutio does not understand Romeo’s love for others, and how much he lets it affect him. Even though the two are so different, Romeo and Mercutio still manage to be best friends throughout the play.

Read More

Romeo And Juliet Foil Essay

627 Words | 3 Pages

On the other hand, Mercutio is an humorous, lighthearted joker that mocks love. Romeo is a very moody, melancholy character that people do not expect him to be. When Romeo is first introduced in the play, he is depressed, cries, stays in his room, and even wanders in the dark after his relationship with Rosaline

Read More

Why Would Mercutio Kill

692 Words | 3 Pages

Well, the audience does not know much about Mercutio beyond the facade that he places upon himself towards the other characters of the play, and additionally to the audience themselves. The moment that the audience can most easily see this facade break is when Tybalt, the enemy of the Montagues, confronts Romeo, and Mercutio intervenes. Mercutio’s empathy in this matter does not reach extraordinary lengths, or even somewhat understandable lengths, as when Romeo is pleading to Tybalt that he does not want to fight and instead wants to love Mercutio states, “O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!” (III.i.1571). At this moment, he believes that the act of submission itself is dishonorable.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Romeo And Juliet And Mercutio

914 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Mercutio In Romeo And Juliet

607 Words | 3 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s love tragedy Romeo & Juliet Mercutio plays a minor role with a big impact to the love tragedy. He was a middle aged man who lives in the city of Verona. Mercutio was Romeo’s kinsman and very close friend. Mercutio was one of the handful of characters that had a close relationship to Romeo. Mercutio’s character had a very negative outlook on ‘love’ he had his own ideas about the concept that he expressed in his famous Queen Mab speech in act 1 scene 4.

Read More

Mercutio Essay

899 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More

Theme Of Loyalty In Romeo And Juliet

935 Words | 4 Pages

The Nurse helped out Juliet when her Parents could not. “As I told you my young lady bade me inquire you out; what she bade me say, I will keep to myself”(Act II.II.148-149). The Nurse has offered to keep the secret of the marriage between the two young ones and she will not tell anyone about it. After the Nursze comes back from visting Romeo she finds ways to not tell Juliet the good news instead she starts talking about other things, the Nurse also knows how delighted juliet will be once when she finds out about the wedding “Your love says, like an honest gentleman, and a courteous, and a kind,...where is your mother?”(Act II.II.55-57). The day of Mercutio and Tybalt 's death she did not think Romeo would do such a thing, and now her thoughts about Romeo have changed instead she thinks Romeo would end up hurting her young lady.

Read More

Comparing Menenius And Mercutio In Shakespeare's Romeo

549 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

Types Of Love In Romeo And Juliet

1472 Words | 6 Pages

Lastly, Shakespeare uses Romeo and Juliet to show true love. Nurse shows parental love to Juliet throughout the play. Despite being a servant to the Capulet household, she has a role equivalent to that of Juliet’s mothers and regards Juliet as her own. Even with the fact that Nurse is not the birth mother of Juliet, she still treats Juliet like a daughter. Nurse cares about Juliet and wants her to be happy and find success.”

Read More

More about Mercutio's Personality

Related Topics

Open Document