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Mercutio's Influence In Romeo And Juliet

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“A plague a’ both your houses!” (Shakespeare III, i. 102) Mercutio, on the brink of death at the hands of Tybalt, shouted this line to Romeo and Benvolio as he lay in his friends’ arms. His death acts as a turning point in the play, contrasting the previous humour of the first two acts with the tragedy of the last three. His death influences Romeo, causing him to kill Tybalt in revenge, sending Romeo down a winding path that led to his eventual downfall. Mercutio’s influence is seen often through the play, time and time again leading Romeo to make decisions that may not always be in his best interest. Mercutio acts as Romeo’s foil, using his quick wit and sexual interpretations of love to add humour to the play, but his actions that contribute to Romeo’s downfall are where his multi-faceted role is shown. Mercutio’s role in the play is very important to …show more content…

The first two acts of Romeo and Juliet are comedic in nature: sexual humor, lovers kept apart by a feud, and much wordplay. This period ends, however, with Mercutio’s death, the first death of the play. This is especially important not just because it tells of events to come, but also because Mercutio is from neither the Capulet nor Montague households, but from the house of the Prince. Therefore, his death is not just the first death of the play, but an innocent death, only connected to the feud because of his friendships with Romeo and Benvolio. Following the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, the enmity and tension of the two houses climaxes. With Mercutio’s innocent death, the tragic part of the play begins: brash, ill-advised actions on the parts of the protagonists eventually lead to their downfall. Both due to acting as a turning point, and an influence on Romeo, Mercutio leaves a lasting mark on the play, changing its course and leading to its eventual

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