Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Similarities between romeo and mercutio in romeo and juliet
Similarities between romeo and mercutio in romeo and juliet
How is romeo presented compared to mercutio in romeo and juliet
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Shakespeare has no doubt created some of the most dynamic and interesting characters in written history, and in Romeo and Juliet there were several memorable ones. Aside from the hero and heroine, the voluble and witty Mercutio is as memorable a character as is found in all of Shakespeare's plays. He acts as a significant character in terms of plot advancement; but more importantly, Mercutio himself is a fascinating man in many aspects.
Mercutio is not part of the Montague family, he is however a friend of Romeo's and related to the Prince of Verona. One would think this puts him relatively outside the family feud, but we learn that Mercutio is only all to willing to play along with this adversary, and ultimately his quick and volatile nature lead to his untimely death.
Mercutio was first introduced to us in Act I, Scene 4; when Romeo, Benvolio and the gang are on the way to the Capulets' feast. Although it was only his first appearance, he captured immediate attention with his comments. We get the feeling that Mercutio will not stay a sideline character. He is shown joking and punning with Romeo on heaviness and lightness as well as how it relates to love. Mercutio and Romeo's friendship and obvious closeness is to be noted.
"A gentleman, Nurse, that loves to hear himself talk, and will speak more in a minute than he will stand to in a month."
That was Romeo's description of Mercutio seen in Act II, Scene 4. Indeed, Mercutio is a man of many words and his language is full of jokes, puns and sexual double meanings. To understand Mercutio fully we must first understand his words, and sometimes that can be hard to as his word play is easily interpreted in more than one way. More than anyone else in the play Mercutio uses puns. To an Elizabethan this was the sign of a quick wit, to be able to see different meanings in the same word. Shakespeare knew that well and incorporated his own wit into Mercutio's character. We come to associate Mercutio with puns and it seems almost characteristic of him to do so compulsively, even after he received his death-wound.
"Look for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man."
It is sadly ironic how Mercutio is hinting that perhaps he is facing something serious for the first time in the play, and allows the audience to sympathize for him.
Throughout the speech, he frequently adds a sort of flare to the way he speaks; for example, he uses over ten lines(in the text)to simply describe the size of Queen Mab. The manner in which he speaks is loud, confident, and stylish; therefore, he attracts attention. He also manages to subtly mock Romeo when speaking about how those who are in love dream of love; this is to add a comedic flare, even though that is what he is. Mercutio’s entertainer like personality is due to the fact that he is amusing. In this tragic and serious play, he is the obnoxious character that breaks the seriousness for a while with a witty remark.It also explains why he is the dramatic foil to Romeo. This goes along with his flamboyant attitude. Nevertheless, he is also vulgar at times, which adds to his loud personality. Now, brown represents Earth and reliability, and Mercutio, in his own way, represents
Juliet. Mercutio is often overlooked when a list of round characters is compiled, but he is in fact
Mercutio is a confusing character. He rarely seems to hate anybody yet he is almost always “Hot-headed;” getting into fights and losing his patience towards others.
Romeo was very loyal to his friends and family, and it is possible that Mercutio thought that Romeo would help him fight off Tybalt (since he was unaware of Romeo and Juliet’s secret marriage that somewhat united Romeo and Tybalt). However, this argument is easily deemed invalid. Romeo was not in the town square when the fight had first began, so Mercutio expecting his help in the fight would be a far-fetched idea. A person who is not present cannot help or hinder the situation at hand. In addition, Romeo tried to break up the fight when he said, “Gentlemen, for shame forbear this outrage! Tybalt! Mercutio! The Prince expressly hath forbid this bandying in Verona streets. Hold, Tybalt! Good Mercutio!” (Shakespeare 121). Romeo tried to stop the fight and therefore gave Mercutio more time before death, albeit minimal. The blame cannot be placed on Romeo since he did all that he could to stop the fight from
Mercutio is one of the most unique characters in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. His language is always powerful and imaginative. The Nurse is a very important character in the play because as her title suggests, she is. a Nurse for the Capulet family. She is also a surrogate mother to Juliet.
In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Mercutio, a friend of Romeo plays a deep role within the play. Many characters in Romeo and Juliet can represent the masculine or feminine spaces. The masculine space is chaotic and more towards the sexual and material side of the play, which have more of a tragic potential. While the feminine space is peaceful, more romantic and spiritual in giving a better chance for the comic potential. Mercutio represents the masculine space while Romeo prefers the peacefulness of the feminine space. Mercutio tells Romeo to be rough with love, he tries to keep him within the masculine space after the ball, and he fools with the Juliet’s nurse because of his actions he pushes Romeo towards tragedy.
Because he is Romeo’s friend, he stands on the Montague’s side. In fact, Mercutio simply appears in four scenes in Romeo and Juliet, in other words, he is not the main character in the play. Nevertheless, I think he is an attractive and memorable character in the play. Actually, Mercutio’s name is related to the word “mercurial,” meaning “having an unpredictable and fast changing mood,” an accurate description of Mercutio’s personality. Moreover, he also plays a vital
The excerpt shows how even Mercutio recognizes the feud between the Montagues and Capulets being destructive, and how it is now gotten so out of hand he has been dragged into it. Mercutio tries to open Romeo’s eyes on how if this feud continues there will be a demise for both families; but by Romeo choosing to ignore this advice and killing Tybalt he is setting himself up for his failure/downfall. Thus, Romeo is shown as a tragic hero because his demise is partly his fault and not an accident.
Romeo changes throughout the book. When Romeo went to the Capulets party, he was in love with Rosaline. He saw Juliet and immediately loved her. In act two scene two it Romeo says this about Juliet, "Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return." He compares her eyes to stars in the night sky. Romeo talks about Juliet and is wanting to talk to her. This shows how Romeo is loving and sweet. In the last act of the book Romeo sees Juliet dead in the tomb. She is not really dead, but he doesn't know that. He kills himself so he can be with her in heaven. Romeo is a very loving person, but in one scene he turns into a very hateful person.
Mercutio, though a minor character, had and enormous impact on the outcome of the play. Before the Capulet Ball, Romeo had been debating whether to go or not. Mercutio persuaded him to go by giving a big speech to him about a dream he had. This makes him partially responsible because the Ball is where Romeo first met Juliet. Mercutio also caused Romeo to be banished from Verona. Mercutio got in a fight with Tybalt and ended up dead. His death enraged Romeo enough to make him kill Tybalt in revenge. When the Prince saw what happened, he sent Romeo into exile. Romeo's banishment to Mantua made it near impossible for Romeo and Juliet to see each other. Mercutio was to blame, though only partially for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
As life proceeds its slow waltz, and humans live their lives, meeting countless other people in the same predicament of nearing an unavoidable end. In this cycle of monotony and conversation there can be people found that are different. Those who are never bothered by the burdens of death and monotony, and hurry through life to greet death as a lost friend they had encountered many times on their sprees of invincibility. From the handful of people who resemble these characteristics, one can be found in the William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet. In which the zany character to be found is Mercutio, who is of neither Montague nor Capulet but falls to the hands of Capulet in the defense of Romeo of Montague in a fight of a childish altercation. In which even at his fall in Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare still displays his distinct characteristics that greatly define him such as: humor and impulsiveness.
In Act One of William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, we meet Romeo, Mercutio, and Tybalt. Right away, we get an idea of who these characters are and what kind of role they will play throughout the story. Romeo, Mercutio, and Tybalt share many distinctive characteristics and personalities in the story. We learn that Romeo is the romantic and handsome son of the Montagues. In the beginning of the story, he was depressed, but his mood quickly changed as the story went on. We also learn that Mercutio is Romeo’s closest and good friend who tries to make Romeo forget about his first love, Rosaline. He is a great entertainer and he’s very sarcastic too. Instantly, we learn that Tybalt is a Capulet and Juliet’s cousin. He is very hot-headed, aggressive, and violent. He loathes the Montagues very much. Finally, in Act One of William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, we meet three characters, Romeo, Mercutio, and Tybalt and we directly get an idea of what the characters are like.
The most famous foil character in Romeo and Juliet is Mercutio. He is known for his sharp wit and quick, often ribald, humor and is considered a foil to Romeo. He lacks Romeo's effusive romance, his adoration and almost courtly approach to the idea of love. He often urges Romeo to just find a woman to sleep with and stop worrying about the ephemeral, yet all consuming, love Romeo is desperate to achieve. Mercutio warns Romeo to be skeptical of love and not to rush ahead, but Romeo is all rush, no thought.
In William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet,” Mercutio is introduced as Romeo (the main character) and Benvolio’s (Romeo’s cousin and friend) good friend and relative of the Prince. Mercutio is a very beloved friend to Romeo, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t unkind or disrespectful. He is also very dramatic and perverted, yet somehow laid back and relaxed at the same time. He is very interesting in the way that he can seem kind, but be an awful person and friend at the same time. If Mercutio weren’t as dramatic or such an attention-seeker, he wouldn’t have died and eventually caused Tybalt, Paris, Romeo, and Juliet’s deaths and the sadness that followed each death.
In the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, the three characters who are to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet are Friar Laurence, Lady Capulet, and Lord Capulet.