Mercutio's Archetype In Romeo And Juliet

Paragraph 1 Topic Sentence: Mercutio’s spontaneous remarks and instinctive actions while interacting with others reflect his impulsive character. Evidence 1: When Romeo tells Mercutio that Rosaline’s vow of chastity is “Too rough,/ Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like a thorn” (1.4. 25-26), Mercutio responds, “If love be rough with you, be rough with love;/ Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down” (1.4. 27-28).

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.

Tybalt intended to fight Romeo because he disliked his presence at the Capulet’s party but after Romeo refuses to fight Mercutio feels the need to fight for him instead. This is not the only time Mercutio is a display of masculinity in the play. As Romeo’s friend he likes to mock him, calling him an petrarchan lover and joking about his version of love. The difference to Romeo is also found when juxtaposing how Romeo and Mercutio speak. For instance, when Romeo talks about the girls he is in love with or has a crush on he talks in poetic sentences. In comparision, Mercutios:” Laura was a kitchen slave. Surely she has a better love to make rhymes for her. Dido was shabbily dressed. Cleopatra was a gypsy girl. Helen and Hero were sluts and harlots.

In Act I, Scene IV, Romeo and friends are about to crash the party that the Capulets are hosting, but Romeo is still sad from the heartbreak he experienced with Rosaline. As a good friend would, Mercutio tries to look out for and convince Romeo that there are many fish in the sea. “You are a lover. Borrow Cupid’s wings and soar with them above a common bound.” This means that Romeo should try and fly to find someone else instead of Rosaline. As well as this, he gives advice to Romeo for getting over Rosaline and himself. “If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.” This means that if love plays rough with you, you must play rough back. Once you prick love, you will get over your heartbreak and love. Thus, Mercutio looks out for Romeo’s best interests and gives him advice, which aligns him as a good friend to

best friend, he is very loyal to him and neutral to the feud . He

Mercutio cant keep still Mercurio is most known for his stories and games such as “More than a Prince of Cats…” (Shakespeare 412). He always lightens the mood with nonsense. To sum it up, Mercutio is a jokester, impulsive, impacient, but most of all a good friend to

In Act 2, scene 1, Mercutio calls for Romeo by saying, "Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover!

eye, / Shot through the ear with a love song.” Early on in the play,

P.688-Mercutio is the type of person who knows a lot about love. He does have good advice for Romeo. Mercutio can be Romeo’s foil because Romeo has just have a different perspective than Mercutio about love.

Romeo’s lovesick moping for Rosaline sparks a need for a wild rant within Mercutio. Mercutio taunts and mocks Romeo, for his dream which tells him they should not crash the Capulet’s party. This, in the end, all falls back on the theme of fate. As a result, Mercutio’s rant persuades Romeo to attend the party because after all, dreams are ridiculous and not always truthful. Additionally, Mercutio is suggesting that, like Queen Mab, dreams (specifically Romeo’s) are petty and insignificant. All of this takes place in Act once Scene four. The purpose of this speech is to add comic relief amongst the tragic events, whilst foreshadowing what’s to come. Romeo is constructed as a juvenile character with a dreamy nature, who is romantic and lovesick , in comparison to his best friend, Mercutio, who takes on the role as a comedic, volatile, pessimistic and sharp-witted personality.

When Romeo arrives, he meets Juliet from the Capulet family. They talk, kiss, and fall in love. Romeo is more content than ever, and Mercutio mocks Romeo’s vision of love saying “Romeo, Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh, Speak but one rhyme and I am satisfied.” (A2SI) While Romeo is caught up in his romantic love, Mercutio mocks love and views love as merely a sexual

As one of the most complex characters in the play, Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio’s purpose is to act as a static catalyst for the death of most of the characters. Shakespeare uses Mercutio’s character cleverly as the kind of character that stays in the background, but influences the rest of the cast in the utmost amount. Mercutio’s light and occasionally sardonic humor at inapt times relieves the play from being a complete tragedy and allows the audience a false sense of security before calamity strikes, such as the death of his character. Mercutio also stands as a consistent character to prove that despite the fact that the majority of Shakespeare’s characters are unpredictable and impulsive, there has to be at least one character to steady

This results in Romeo’s fate to be darkened. Second, Mercutio shows how Romeo is constantly dreaming. Mercutio’s realism contrasts Romeo’s head in the clouds. This is revealed when Mercutio says “True, I talk of dreams, which [is] the [child] of an [inactive] brain,” (1.4, 96-97). This quote exemplifies that dreaming cannot be a portent, and that it can change just like the wind. This also shows that Mercutio has a flamboyant imagination, while demonstrating his mocking side. This quote also acts as foreshadowing in which shows that if Romeo keeps his head in the clouds he will make mistakes in life, such as him quickly marring Juliet. Moreover, this quote reveals that Mercutio is an important foil character because his view on love contrasts that of Romeo. Mercutio’s view on love is that it is futile, however Romeo thinks of it as a key component to life. Mercutio’s mocking of the hopeless love, makes Romeo’s view look stronger and more passionate. Third, Mercutio shows how serious Romeo is. Mercutio always talks in a witting and light-hearted way, in which contrasts to Romeo’s seriousness. Mercutio always uses clever wordplay and puns to mock people and bring comic relief into the play. This is emphasized when Mercutio says “And but one word with one of us? ... Make it a word and a blow,” (3.1, 40-41). This quote illustrates the comedy that Mercutio brings. At the edgy moment when Tybalt was about to fight, Mercutio still made a mockery of him.

Another role that Mercutio plays in determining the outcome of the play is Mercutio dies in the figth with Tybolt. In act 3, scene 1, lines 127-130, Romeo says "; for Mercutio soul is but a little ways above our heads, staying for thine to keep him company. Either thou or I, or both, must go with him." Romeo is saying that Mercutio is dead and that one of us, or both has to go keep Mercutio company. When Romeo knows that Mercutio is dead because of Tybolt he goes after him. This then leads to Romeo killing Tybolt, which gets him banished from Verona by the Prince.

Mercutio tries to get Romeo's mind on something else. He also describes imagination in a powerful, memorable way in his "Queen Mab" speech (Act 1, scene 4). The speech shows Mercutio's eloquence and it describes dreams as coming from a fairy creature. He is clever man.