Mercutio in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

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Mercutio in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Mercutio adds energy to the play yet ironically also hastens the

tragedy with his impetuous actions. He has a vivid imagination and

frolicsome personality with his name derived from the adjective

'mercurial'. This gives an excellent description of the young man's

vibrant, quick-witted, volatile nature. His strong sense of humour

often turns into bawdy innuendos; "open arse and thou a poperin pear,"

as he teases Romeo the romantic. Indeed Mercutio is used as a dramatic

foil to Romeo's love loin "soul of lead." The death of this vivacious

character suddenly creates a tragic, disconcerting impact on the

story.

His colourful imagination is seen from the powerful portrayal of Queen

Mab, "the fairies' midwife." During his description of the "angry"

"hag", the subject of dreams changes to match his own cynical view on

life. His focus on soldiers dreaming of "cutting foreign necks" gives

us a small insight into his own inner thoughts and ironically it is in

a sword fight that Mercutio is to die.

The death of this exuberant man appears as unnecessary waste. Upon

Tybalt's fatal blow, Mercutio, the wounded man, curses the two

families three times, " a plague a'both houses." This shows that

people outside the feuding families are involved in the "ancient

grudge" whether they wish to be or not. It also indicates, as his name

can be linked with Mercury - messenger of the Gods, that he is a

messenger, prefiguring the death of the "star-crossed lovers."

Mercutio's verbal attack of Romeo, as he "was hurt under...

(Romeo's)... arm" represents the many barriers in the play especially

that be...

... middle of paper ...

...aris disregards the warning,

starting a sword fight that determines his fate. In a moment of blind

love, after Romeo laid Paris' slain body beside Juliet's, Romeo drinks

his "dram of poison"; telling Juliet that forever with her he will

"remain". Upon Juliet's awakening to see her lover's body, her intense

love for Romeo causes her to take her own life. Not only does

Mercutio's death turn this complex love story into a twisted tragedy,

but also from this effervescent character's departure stems Romeo's

revenge and banishment and indirectly the end of the lover's and their

passionate "misadventure". Ironically it is the spontaneous nature of

one man, Mercutio, and his loathing of Tybalt that seals the fate of

the "two households" as well as "their children's end", rather that

the antediluvian rancour the families share.

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