How Does Mercutio Create Tension In Romeo And Juliet

On a busy Sunday in July during the 1400’s, Mercutio, Benvolio, and Romeo are outside of the Capulet’s party in Verona, Italy. While outside of the party, Romeo and Mercutio share dreams they’ve had and discuss their reality. Later on Sunday, Romeo meets Juliet and soon turns to the clouds for a break from the truth. Mercutio is the Prince’s kinsman and Romeo’s close friend, he’s not a Capulet nor a Montague and is one of the few characters that can mingle with both households. In this scene, Mercutio, unlike Romeo, doesn’t think that dreams can be warnings and explains that dreams are the outcome of the stress and eagerness of those that sleep. Because Mercutio isn’t a Capulet or Montague, he’s invited to the Capulet’s party while Benvolio

An ironic point is that after Mercutio finishes his explanation of his dream, Romeo tells him that his dream about Queen Mab was nonsense and to settle down. Several poetic elements are the perfect puzzle pieces that make this scene not only aesthetically pleasing but incredibly reflective. The first puzzle piece is the use of scansion. Scansion is the division of poetry into feet by stressing certain syllables.

Benvolio has an emotional moment when he tells Mercutio “This wind you talk of blows us from ourselves.” (1.4.111). When he says this, emotions pour out into the rhythm of a heartbeat and features an iambic pentameter. Alliteration is repeating the consonant sounds at the beginning of nearby words. The beginning sound of “w”: “wind,” “who” “woos.” The words that were chosen to be a part of the “w” sound discuss fantasies and wooing someone. The wind itself blows things back and forth and tries to accomplish something specific. Just a like a person would woo someone to complete a certain task. Another piece of the puzzle is assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds in the stressed syllables of nearby words. “Supper is done, and we shall come too late.” (1.4.112). The “O” in “done” and “come” promotes completion. When you finish something, especially like a dream, it almost fleets. If you want to act upon it before it fleets you have to be diligent and focused. If Mercutio continues

Onomatopoeia is a word whose sound is similar to the action it refers to. “Puffs” is the word used in this scene that guarantees Romeo’s daydreams are nonsense. The difference between dreams and daydreams is fairly large, daydreams happen when you aren’t really paying attention and thinking about “what ifs….” While dreams happen while you are sleeping and aren’t actively thinking. The last poetic element puzzle piece is the use of personification, Personification is giving human characteristics to nonhuman objects. Mercutio explains dreams as “children of an idle brain,” (1.4.104). Dreams aren’t children in an inactive brain, Shakespeare describes dreams that way because when you sleep, your brain isn’t actively thinking so you dream things