Although Mercutio is just a secondary character, he is known to be the entertainer of the show. He only appears in four scenes, but his character sets an impact on the play. Mercutio portrayed positive character traits in Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet,” such as being humorous, loyal, and brave, which in turn causes many different outputs in the play.
When you first meet him in the play, your first impression may be how funny and amusing this character is. He constantly uses puns and jokes, he teases sometimes in fun, and sometimes with bitterness. “I will bite thee by the ear for that jest.” (Rom. 2. 4. 37) One of the reasons that Romeo had Mercutio as a friend was because of his funny personality. One thing that we learn from the quote, is that he is playful with his friends. Given the time the play was written, his suggestion for him to bite his ear is showing him making fun of the era. The era in the book is very proper and organized, and him poking fun of it shows his humor in the act.
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He demonstrates his loyalty many times in the play. But the main time he does is when he decided to take Romeo’s place when Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, wanted to fight him. This sadly, resorted to his death, but his support for Romeo showed us that he was truly a loyal friend.
“O calm dishonorable, vile submission! Alla stoccata carries it away. Tybalt, you ratcatcher, will you walk?” (Rom.3.1.44-46) Mercutio’s loyalty Mercutio’s death portrayed his bravery. He wasn’t scared to stand up to Tybalt and fight him. He stood up for his friends and showed no fear towards anyone or anything. “But I’ll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery. Marry, go before to field, he’ll be your follower. Your worship in that sense may call him man” (Rom.3.1.28-30) In this quote, Mercutio is pretty much taunting Tybalt to fight him and that is
The play, Romeo and Juliet, is a very popular tragedy that many people have read or seen performed on a stage. There are many different characters with contrasting personalities that make up this complex story. Two main characters are Mercutio and Benvolio, and they both play a major role in the events that take place in this play. Mercutio is a foil to Benvolio and we can see how these two people have opposite qualities and will react differently to difficult situations. Conflicts in the play will show us how Mercutio is hot headed and quick to act, while Benvolio is calm and logical.
Mercutio’s role to Romeo and Juliet takes many shapes and forms. Mercutio is the opposite of Romeo when it comes to love, as he says “If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking and you beat love down. (1.4.27-28)” While Romeo believes in love both ways in a relationship, Mercutio believes that long-standing love isn’t real. Also, Mercutio isn’t technically a Montague or a Capulet, so he doesn’t really take the feud or love very seriously. Mercutio is also quick tempered, and even though he isn’t truly a Montague he is shown like a counterpart to Tybalt because he likes to side with the Montagues. Like Tybalt, Mercutio is quick to go to his sword, “O calm, dishonourable, vile submission. Alla staccato carries it away. Tybalt you rat catcher, will you walk?(3.1.74-76)” When Romeo rejects Tybalt’s offer to fight, Mercutio draws his sword to save Romeo’s name, but also because his love to fight. Mercutio offers as a contrast between houses, sort of like the man in the middle in Romeo and
Mercutio may seem to be a character that just adds humor and acts a jokester in the play but he served a stronger purpose as he was the catalyst that ended six people’s lives. Mercutio played a big part in how the story of Romeo and Juliet played out as he pushed the story forward. Mercutio is much more than just a supporting character in Shakespeare's play “Romeo and Juliet” because his character was a close friend of Romeo and had a large effect on Romeo’s life. He started a fight with Tybalt to defend Romeo, but was killed during the duel which then caused Romeo to avenge him by killing Tybalt. The death of Tybalt causes the exile of Romeo which is then followed by a the death of 4 more characters.
The scene introduces Mercutio, Romeo's clever and witty friend. Mercutio's character is personally interesting because he is able to poke fun on Romeo's statements about love and dreams while humorizing it
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the protagonist's best friend, Mercutio, finds that his wit and bravado lead to his downfall in Act 3 of the play. At the beginning of Act 3, the aggressive Tybalt of the Capulet family comes searching for Romeo of the rival family, Montagues, after he “dishonored” at their feast. When Tybalt questions Mercutio, he immediately tries to provoke Tybalt and makes snarky comments. When Romeo arrives and refuses to fight, Mercutio gets angry at his submission and calls his friend a coward; after a sarcastic remark to Tybalt calling him the “good King of Cats,” he determines to take “one of [Tybalt’s] nine/ lives” and “dry-beat the rest of the eight” (III.i.75-77). Tybalt and Mercutio then engage in a fight
Mercutio is fun and witty personality that entertains the reader throughout the entire play, however his careless nature may be to blame for the death for Romeo, Juliet and even Tybalt and Paris. Although he is a likeable character, Mercutio was the type of person to tease and upset the others whenever he had a chance. This was an issue because he would constantly bother his friends and pressure them into doing something which they did not want to do. He also has a carefree attitude which has probably gotten into many fights throughout his lifetime.
A crucial part of their friendship are their playful conversations, since Mercutio is witty and carefree. In scene four of act two, Mercutio banters between Romeo and Benvolio, and Romeo responds with a repartee which makes Mercutio delighted that his friend is cheerful again. In their conversation, it states, “That’s as much as to say, such as a case as yours constrains a man to bow in the hams” (II.IV.52-53). Romeo then responds, “Meaning, to curtsy”(II.IV.54). This is one of the small jokes that showed that demonstrates their fun-loving side of their close
Characters in plays are remembered by the audience for their actions, how those actions affect other characters around them, and for their personalities. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, one character is more prominent than others as a result of his brave actions, how his actions affect other important characters, and his comic personality. Despite dying relatively early on in Act Three, Mercutio is the most memorable character in the play. First of all, Mercutio is memorable because he dies in a brave and dramatic fashion. Secondly, Mercutio plays a large role in the Montagues’ lives, especially Romeo’s. Lastly, Mercutio draws the attention of the audience to himself by talking a large amount and using humour to add comedic
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.
Few stories are as renowned and appreciated as those written by William Shakespeare. His many plays have survived the centuries, and one of his most well-known plays, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, tells the story of two-star crossed lovers as their lives are lead to tragedy because of a feud between their families. Fate works against them, and they both end up killing themselves thinking they can not live without the other. One of the qualities of this play is it recurring use of foils to highlight the attributes of another character.. Mercutio serves as a foil for Romeo to help built both characters by their view of love, how they showcase one another’s flaws, and how Mercutio’s death motivates Romeo fro the purpose of giving the audience a deeper understanding.
Tybalt is particularly violent and Mercutio isnt. Mercutio is intelligent while Tybalt is really all about honor and strength and beating others.
To begin with, Mercutio is a good friend to Romeo in that he stands up for Romeo when in need. In Act III, Scene I, there is a scene in which Tybalt, Mercutio, and Romeo are conversing. In lines 59-60, Tybalt says, “Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain.” This
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.
" 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.
He is the one who tries to pick Romeo back up and dust him off. Even though Romeo may not have admitted it, Mercutio was portrayed as his rock. That is why when he dies, this triggers a turning point in the play for the worst, resulting in multiple deaths and even an exile. Romeo and Juliet’s plan was caused by the death of Mercutio, because if he had not fallen, Romeo would not have lost his temper and slain Tybalt in a fit of rage. Romeo feels to blame since Mercutio “…got his mortal hurt in [Romeo’s] behalf;” (III.i.106-107). In turn, Romeo strives for vengeance and achieves it through the death of Tybalt. Although Mercutio is considered to be a subsidiary character, the outcome of the story would have been much