Act III, Scene I: the Pivotal Scene in Romeo and Juliet Essay

One of the reasons Mercutio is most responsible for the tragedies in this play is that he is the one who convinces Romeo to go to the party at the Capulets. This is what started the chain of events that led up to the deaths of himself, Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt and Mrs. Montague. Mercutio tells Romeo that he is a lover. Borrow Cupids wings and soar with them above a common bound”

In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the character Mercutio is a foil for Romeo. They are both young men who enjoy each other's company and meet their death in this tragedy. Romeo is an impulsive, hopelessly dramatic romantic who overreacts to most life events. While Mercutio is more realistic, grounded, carefree and serious, although he can be impulsive. With Mercutio being a foil for Romeo, it is easy to see Romeo's dramatic and tragic life story as compared to the more calmer tragic ending for Mercitio.

I think that one of the biggest causes of Mercutio’s death is the ‘ancient grudge’ between the ‘two households’, the Capulet’s and Montague’s. This is a massive cause because this alone was what started off all the fights. After Mercutio has been mortally wounded, he sees that this is why he is dying, which is why he says ‘a plague o’ both your houses!’ If the Montague’s and Capulet’s weren’t fighting, Tybalt wouldn’t have gone up to Romeo and insulted him. If that never happened, Mercutio would have never fought Tybalt and died. Also, all of the other reasons for Mercutio’s death would have never happened if the Capulet’s and Montague’s weren’t fighting.

" Mercutio was correct in his predictions. The love between Romeo and Juliet ends up a tragedy for both families. Mercutio's character is essential in driving the action forward in this play. He foreshadows the devastating events, serves as Romeo's friend, and gives the audience important information throughout the play. Mercutio's death is the turning point in the play.

Mercutio’s death works as a catalyst for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. From the moment that Mercutio is stabbed by Tybalt, the actual tragedy aspect of the play begins. Up to Mercutio’s death, the play follows a rather light-hearted, dramatized tone, but once his death plays out, the plot turns to focus on the misfortunes of the rest of the characters. Following Mercutio’s death, Romeo hints at the disasters to come by saying, “This day’s black fate on more days doth depend. This but begins the woe others must end (3.1.124-125)”. Moments after Mercutio’s death, Romeo is already aware of what troubles will arise. As Mercutio is held as Romeo’s stability, Romeo knows that something will begin from the end of Mercutio. As Mercutio’s death plays out, both Mercutio and Romeo are correct in the sense of their knowledge of Mercutio’s death being held as a catalyst, even if no one else does. If Romeo had died in the fight rather than Mercutio, the tragedy would not have happened, as Mercutio is more levelheaded than Romeo, and would have made sure the situation

Mercutio is what his name stands to be, Mercurial. Though known as a joyful and intense character, he is in fact partially to blame for the tragic death of the two young lovers. It is in fact Mercutio who convinces a young Romeo to forget about

They have made worms meat of me,” (3.1, 68-69). This quote exemplifies that although Mercutio is neither a Montague nor a Capulet he still dies in a battle fought between the families. This incident heightens Romeo’s fatal flaw, as his reckless act of heroism turned out to be a burden as it caused the death of Mercutio. Moreover, Mercutio’s plague towards the families also foreshadows further tragedy, as Romeo then gets banished from the Verona, along with additional events which later on result to his death. Last, even after his death, Mercutio acts as a foil character to Romeo by causing a shift in Romeo’s gentle character. For example, after Tybalt slays Mercutio, Romeo avenges his friend by killing Tybalt. This act shows his alteration in character, as he was never seen as a ferocious character in any previous scenes. This is evident in the play when Romeo says, “Away to Heaven, respective lenity, and fire-eyed fury be my conduct now,” (3.1, 125-126). This quote exemplifies Romeo’s new perception, as he claims he is finished with sympathy and gentleness. This change in Romeo’s personality is significant because not only is he going to attack Tybalt, but also he is going to kill him, which then entitles him a murderer. This is significant because it further leads to his banishment, which in all leads to his death. The transition in the persona of Romeo is highlighted by the character Mercutio, which leads to the

“And but one word with one of us? couple it with something, make it a word and a blow.” [III, i, 37-38] Tybalt was not willing to fight mercutio if mercutio had not escalated tybalt's anger. Moreover, Mercutio could have avoided this situation if he had showed respect in return.This comes to show how mercutio had made impulsive decisions instead of making rational decisions. As a result, we can see Mercutio's death occurs due to his rash and impulsive decisions. Mercutio’s impulsive acts result in his own passing. When Romeo refuses to participate in a duel with Tybalt, Mercutio challenges Tybalt himself. Using words which are highly intimidating and threatening, Mercutio gives Tybalt no choice but to engage in a duel. The following violent words are exchanged between the two characters.

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio, one of Romeo’s friends and a kinsman to the Prince, is killed. He is fun-loving but can be very intense at times, and he has a very wild imagination. Many things can be determined as the cause of Mercutio’s death, such as pride, confidence, and carelessness.

Mercutio’s death sets in motion a series of tragedy, and by the end of theof the play, both the Monatgues and the Capulets are forced to acknowledge their responsibility. As Prince Escalus says:

Mercutio is Romeo’s friend and a kinsmen to the Prince. He is fun-loving, but can be very intense at times, and he has a very wild imagination. In Shakespeare’s classic work Romeo and Juliet, this beloved character dies at the beginning of the third act. There are many things that led up to his death, such as his insistence that Romeo attend the Capulet’s party, confidence, and pride. If he had acted differently in certain situations, he would most likely have not died the way he did.

Shakespeare used comedy early on in the play to build personality around the main characters and to keep viewers intrigued in the story. We grow to enjoy Mercutio’s screen time as he brings humour to each scene, which makes his eventual death all the more impactful and devastating, converting the play into a tragedy. Shakespeare also designs this poem to be didactic, as he has the hidden warning not to be lustful as Romeo is, as it leads to a series of misfortune eventually leading to his demise. It does convey human experience well, however, as Shakespeare seems to build the “star-crossed” theme off the heavy belief in astrology in 16th Century England, branching off from the opinions of Roman philosopher Boethius.

This demonstrates the needless sacrifice of Mercutio from Tybalt’s hatred. Another character that develops this theme is Romeo. Shakespeare states that after Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo becomes enraged in hatred and when Tybalt returns, Romeo forgets that Tybalt is his cousin-in-law and fights Tybalt and eventually kills him. Romeo says, “Away to heaven, respective lenity, and editorial fire-eyed fury be my conduct now. Now, Tybalt, take the “villain” back again that late thou gavest me, for Mercutio’s soul is but a little way above our heads, staying for thine to keep him company.

As a consequence of the brawl between Tybalt and Mercutio, Mercutio ends up dead which then develops the theme because of the pain Romeo feels after hearing about his friend’s death.

Mercutio is a relative of the prince and friend to Romeo. He is an eloquent man and becomes the center of attention whenever he appears in the play. It seems like he dominates Romeo with his teasing and irony. He mocks Romeo as he thinks he is too sentimental and tells him how foolish he is; he turns all of Romeo’s thought about love into sexual metaphors.