Romeo And Juliet Foil Essay

A foil is a character who contradicts and contrasts another character. A foil is used in literature to emphasize or accentuate certain qualities of a character. Shakespeare uses foils in most of his famous works such as Romeo and Juliet where Mercutio, kinsman to the prince, is a foil to Romeo, Lord Montague’s son. Mercutio is the direct opposite of Romeo. Romeo is a romantic, serious teen who falls recklessly and easily in love. 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

Because of his disregard to romance, he always finds a way to poke fun at Romeo’s romance with Rosaline and Juliet. Mercutio’s humor can not only be frivolous and jocular, but can also be harsh and crude. His humor is a lot of the time bothersome to Romeo. Mercutio is also quick-tempered as he is always ready to draw his sword at any provocation like when he fights Tybalt (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 83). This shows his loyalty and courage. Mercutio stands his ground and has a very strong sense of honor in his vision or beliefs. He calls Romeo “O calm, dishonorable, vile submission” (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 71) after Romeo wants to step back from facing Tybalt. Even when Mercutio dies, he is making jokes, “No, ‘tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door; but ‘tis enough” (Act 3, Scene 1, Line

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”. Romeo takes love very seriously, while Mercutio mocks him time after time with the belief that love is a