“Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.” -George Eliot Romeo and Juliet is a play about young love, loss, and the bond between friends and family. Throughout the course of the tragedy, each of the characters influence both Romeo and Juliet in one way or another. Although many of those characters have some kind of hold on the naive Juliet, they have a stronger hold on the somewhat credulous Romeo. This sway that they have over Romeo causes him to make several decisions that are rash and impulsive. However, it can also cause him to stop and think depending on the character that is influencing him. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo is influenced by many characters including Mercutio, Benviloi, and Juliet through their joking manner, peaceful composition, and loving attitude, respectively. Through his jokes and quips, Mercutio often persuades Romeo to act before thinking and become confident in himself. When they are speaking of the party that is being held by the Capulets, Romeo tells Mercutio that he is not able to dance because his unrequited love for Rosaline has turned his feet to lead. Mercutio responds by saying that he is a lover, that he should “borrow cupids wings and soar with them above a common ground” (Shakespeare 821). Romeo replies by stating that he hurts too much to do so, and Mercutio says that hi takes the burden of love too seriously and that he has lost all of his spirit. Mercutio’s reference and joke about cupid aids Romeo to make the decision of attending the party. Later that night, after the party at the Capulet’s where Romeo first meets Juliet, he rushes off to see her again. Mercutio and Benvolio attempt to search for him in the streets of V... ... middle of paper ... ...where she was buried. He makes the decision to kill himself, saying that he will remain in the tomb with Juliet, “with worms that are [her] chambermaids. O’ [there] will [he] set up [his] everlasting rest” (Shakespeare 923). Juliet’s love for Romeo and his love for her causes him to change many things in his life and eventually end it. During Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is under the influence of Mercutio with his joking air, Benvilo with his peaceful manner, and Juliet with her loving attitude. Mercutio often raises his spirits and give Romeo more confidence in himself. Benvolio helps to keep Romeo calm and reasonable throughout each of his ordeals. Finally, Juliet provides him with hope through her undying love for him. Romeo is often swayed by many characters, but he is swayed by those whom he keeps closest to him and he loves the most.
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.
Romeo and Juliet has many themes which are fate, death and love, these are all intertwined. At the very beginning of the play, before we even know the characters, we know that ‘death-marked’ ‘Star crossed lovers’ will ‘take their lives’ which already brings in the major themes. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony throughout the play and builds up the tension until Act 3 scene 1 where death starts to play a role. The Prologue also informs us about the Montagues and Capulets dislike for each other. The theme of love is also there thought the play. There are different types of love, the unrequited love the Romeo feels for Rosaline and that Paris feels for Juliet. There is also the love between friends such as with Romeo and Mercutio as Mercutio dies to protect Romeo’s honour and then Romeo avenges his death, and then the romantic love Romeo and Juliet share. I believe the Mercutio is one of the main characters in this play. His speeches tell us a lot about him and his actions have a large affect on the ending of the play. Mercutio’s name means mercurial meaning “an unpredictable and fast changing mood” which is an accurate description of Mercutio's personality because in Queen Mabs speech at the beginning he is joking and seeking attention, but at the end he becomes serious and angry.
Unaware of what happened at Capulet’s party, Mercutio assumes that Romeo is still heartbroken from Rosalind. Line 15 in Act II, Scene IV provides an alternative perspective that exposes the true nature of young love. “Alas poor Romeo, he is already dead, stabbed with a white wench’s black eye, run through the ear with a love song.” Mercutio assumes that love only results in pain, with Romeo’s troubles with infatuation only supporting his belief. Mercutio’s dissatisfied tone, in addition to his perspective on the matter, reveals how others view Romeo. Moreover, it reveals how much love influences
Mercutio and Benvolio encountered Tybalt on the street of Verona and soon enough the newly wed Romeo came. Tybalt then provokes a fight with Romeo, " 'Romeo the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: Thou art a villain', said Tybalt." Shakespeare's play (3, 1, 61-62, 119). Romeo, on the other hand, turned down Tybalt's invitation with a response of, " 'Villain I am none. Therefore, farewell. I see thou knowest me not.' " (3, 1, 65-66, 119). Mercutio was greatly disappointed with Romeo so he just accepted Tybalt's challenge, which caused his death. Mercutio died cursing the Capulets and Montagues. Romeo felt the pain of Mercutio's lost. He craved for revenge over Tybalt so he slain him from his return. The lost of a best friend pushed Romeo to kill Tybalt. He never realized that it would end up that way, that he will lose him. It was the moment that he felt the importance of Mercutio in his life.
Mercutio says, “Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance…You are a lover. Borrow Cupid's wings. And soar with them above a common bound” (1.4.13-18). Mercutio persuades Romeo and says he is a gentle person and he gets all the girls and that he should go to the party to get over Rosaline and when they go to the party Romeo meets Juliet and falls in love with her, then marries her in a day. This is where Tybalt sees Romeo at the party making Tybalt wanting to kill
Love is often perceived as something perfect and flawless in today’s society. However, Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare, portrays love as a form of passionate and violent force that comes with both rewards and consequences.The tragedy focuses on two young lovers called Romeo and Juliet, whose families are intertwined in an ancient feud that disrupts the peace in Verona, Italy. For love, the two teenagers are driven to overcome obstacles they will never imagine doing, and as a result, they along other family members are forced to pay the price of their lives. Through the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare exhibits the reality of young love through the portrayal of the Queen Mab Speech, the impulsive actions taken by both lovers, and the results caused by the powerful nature of their love.
Mercutio’s character in the play, Romeo and Juliet, has potentially changed the storyline and many different aspects of the play. “O Mercutio, Mercutio, what hath thou done Mercutio. Thy presence of thyself has changed the play, and now the two star cross’d lovers have to pay.” In the play, Romeo and Juliet, created by William Shakespeare, we are introduced to a very humorous and influential character in the play, Mercutio. Mercutio was looked upon as the jokester but still changed many aspects of the play, as he was a significant character.
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.
Humor can be found to be a virtue and a vice; however, in the grimmest situations humor may allow the gravity to turn into glee and gayness. Mercutio’s greatest aspect is his sense of humor. Which he doesn’t fail to display even in the most inappropriate moments. An instance of such portrayal is during the scene where Romeo has ditched Benvolio and Mercutio in pursuit of Juliet, in the Capulet’s garden. In which Mercutio comically says, “Nay, I’ll conjure too. / Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover!” (II.i.7-8). This moment can be considered much graver than Mercutio depicts it to be which makes this scene much more like comic relief than a serious scene. The fact that there are Montague’s in Capulet’s territory is serious enough and can cause some major consequences for the perpetrators if caught. And now to betray their positio...
In the renowned play "Romeo and Juliet" written by William Shakespeare, we follow the path of two star-crossed lovers in fair Verona. As we go with them, we explore the world through their eyes and encounter important characters. A pivotal character in the play is Mercutio. He brings in his down-to-earth personality and the themes of antagonism, honour and humour. Mercutio plays an important role in the whole love story of "Romeo and Juliet".
When suddenly Baz Luhrmann nineteen minutes into his work presents a drag Mercutio dressed scandalously in a ridiculous white wig and wearing red lipstick to top it all off, it seems he has no regard for the original Romeo and Juliet. In his portrayal of a character as crucial as Mercutio, Luhrmann crosses the fine line between the individual possessing eloquence and profuse wit Shakespeare creates, and a downright maniac. Before entering the Capulets’ mansion Mercutio’s acclaimed Queen Mab Speech in Act One, Scene Four, displays the aforementioned eloquence and vivid imagination of the character. Specifically, Mercutio claims, “Oh, then I see you’ve been with Queen Mab/...True, I talk of dreams,/Which are the children of an idle brain,/Begot of nothing but vain fantasy,”(I iv 53, 97-99). Anyone with a rational mind does not expect Mercutio to deliver his lines about dreams being merely the result of the anxieties and desires of those who sleep while holding ecstasy and jumping agitatedly. Luhrmann offers an insane Mercutio in his take on Romeo and Juliet and all it achieves is a massacre of the brilliance of the dialogue. The unconventional director stages the exchange to end with Romeo accepting a psychoactive drug inducing him in a euphoric state, then shattering any proceeding potential romantic mood.
In the the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare the character Romeo is used to help the readers understand an important message of the destruction that is caused when passion overrides reason. Shakespeare uses Romeo to highlight an important message is shown several times throughout the course of the play. Shakespeare uses the character Romeo to help readers understand this important message when Romeo sneaks into the Capulet's’ garden to see Juliet in act 2, scene 2. He is also used to show an important message in act 3, scene 5 when Romeo kills himself once finding out about Juliet’s apparent death.
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
Most importantly, Romeo’s poor choices and decisions lead to the tragedy of the drama. From the beginning of the story Romeo reveals his immaturity and ill-equipped emotions. His first mistake reveals itself when he claims to be deeply depressed. Romeo claims that he feels like “sinking ‘under love’s heavy burden’,” (Dupler). At this point Romeo has succumbed to his emotions, due to the fact that a girl named Rosaline refuses to reciprocate his love for her. Romeo’s friends Benvolio and Mercutio “urge him to stop philosophizing about his lost love and to seek another young lady as a new object of his affections” (Dupler).Romeo now demonstrates that he seems incapable of listening to his friends’ suggestions and chooses to continue in a juvenile state of depression. Romeo makes another fatal decision when he nurtures an undeniably damned relationship. Romeo admits that he still loves Juliet once her lineage appears as Capulet when he says, “Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foes debt” (1.5.115). Romeo irresponsibly supports the idea of a relationship between himself and Juliet only because “The young hero is simply shifting his attention to a more receptive subject as he responds to the erotic spurring implicit in his name” (...
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the views of love held by the character Romeo contrast sharply with the views of Mercutio. Romeo's character seems to suffer from a type of manic depression. He is in love with his sadness, quickly enraptured and easily crushed again on a passionate roller coaster of emotion. Mercutio, by contrast is much more practical and level headed. His perceptions are clear and quick, characterized by precise thought and careful evaluation. Romeo, true to his character begins his appearance in the play by wallowing in his depression over Rosaline who does not return his love: