Mercutio in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Mercutio is an almost unique character in Romeo and Juliet, being full
of imagination and wit that is shown greatly in the Queen Mab's
speech. His name reflects his nature Mercutio coming from the word
Mercurial meaning quick and unpredictable. He is a close relative of
the Prince but not a member of either of the rival families.
In Act One, Scene Four when Mercutio first enters the play, his upbeat
personality contrasts sharply with the melancholy Romeo - 'Nay gentle
Romeo, we must have you dance'. Mercutio shows concern for Romeo and
is anxious for Romeo to be merry.
Mercutio does not understand how Romeo is feeling. He regards love as
a physical pursuit and mocks Romeo's view on love as a poetic and
emotional pursuit. He tries to laugh him out of his misery by using
clever punning - 'If love be rough with you, be rough with love' and '
Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down'. Mercutio is one of
the few characters able to ridicule Romeo and still remain his friend.
When he is with Romeo he is at his happiest.
When Romeo protests, 'I dreamt a dream tonight' as a gloomy reason for
his not attending the party of his enemy, Mercutio launches into his
famous 'Queen Mab' speech, criticising the honesty of any dream and
the good qualities of all dreamers. The speech creates vivid imagery
in the reader's mind, which reflects Mercutio's tremendous
imagination.
'Peace, peace, Mercutio peace'- Romeo interrupts Mercutio through his
Queen Mab speech. This shows that Mercutio is very talkative. With the
speech, Mercutio aims to urge Romeo to take an honest look at him.
After the party, Romeo avoids his friends and climbs Juliet's orchard
walls. Mercutio calls after Romeo, teasing him about Rosaline, who he
believes is still madly in love with. Mercutio cannot help but to
reduce such lovesick feelings to a rude and witty sexual comment -
'Now will he sit under a medlar tree, and wish his mistress were that
-Golding writes that, “The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering,” emphasizing how savage the boys have bec...
from Odysseus, hero of the Trojan War, to Richard III of Shakespeare’s play. A prominent,
• The first stanza contains witty comedy in the form of puns where “hunk” both refers to clump and a colloquial word for attractive male and the word “palms” belies sexual innuendo.
Act One of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare The play Romeo and Juliet is set in "fair Verona" in Italy. Shakespeare based his play on a poem by Brooke and brought it to the theatres in 1595. Although the play is set in Italy many things mentioned could be found in Elizabethan England, for example the Capulet's party. This suggests to me that Shakespeare had little knowledge of Italian life and culture.
Thoughtful laughter is a technique used frequently in satirical pieces in literature. It allows for the audience to enjoy the wittiness of a work, later ponder on the meaning, and then apply the message to reality. Thoughtful laughter is often an inner experience that can only be achieved by authors who write meticulously. Two examples of satirical works in literature that display this concept explicitly are Voltaire’s Candide and C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Both authors explore the depths of satire and simultaneously deliver an important message to readers through skillful technique.
While reading Shakespeare's play “Romeo and Juliet” it is easy to see that everybody in the story is at fault for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Personally however, I believe that three of the main characters are more at fault then the other characters. First is Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend. Next is Benvolio, nephew of Lord Montague and Romeo’s other friend. Last is Friar Lawrence, Romeo and Juliet Franciscan Priest. In a story of unorthodox love, family feuding, and violence, many are at blame for the deaths.
It is human nature to place blame and point fingers at someone, but it is a lot less common to take responsibility for your own actions. Sometimes, we put ourselves in positions that are detrimental to our lives or well-being. Even though we are responsible, it is likely that we will place the blame elsewhere. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio found himself with a similar conflict. Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, killed Mercutio during a fight in the town square. It would be easy to say that Tybalt caused Mercutio’s death since it was his sword that killed him, but that is simply false. Mercutio ignored many warnings and continued to antagonize the fight that lead to his death. The character ultimately responsible for Mercutio’s death is
Mercutio and the Nurse in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the whole of Romeo & Juliet there is a strong comparison. between Mercutio & the nurse. Neither are a part of either family, but they get drawn into this family brawl.
and in her bosom I’ll unclasp my heart. and take her hearing prisoner with the force. and strong encounters of my amorous tale. Then, to her father, will I break? and the conclusion is, she shall be thine.’
Othello in William Shakespeare's Play Most of the characters in "Othello" perceive Othello as unclean and
In this act the audience is introduced to a new character filled with many complex qualities and motivations. When Romeo proposes marriage to Juliet and she says yes, he goes to a man named Friar Lawrence to ask him to marry them. Friar Lawrence agrees to marry them immediately. Here, Friar Lawrence is shown as an imperfect religious figure because of his willingness to compromise the sanctity of marriage for a political goal. He believes that if Romeo and Juliet are married then the feud between the two houses, Montagues and Capulets would cease.
of the Capulet’s orchard. This is a brave thing to do, for, if he had
Many aspects of the time period are made a mockery through puns and witty remarks from the
The Character Of Romeo Montague in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Romeo is one of the main characters in Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” and is portrayed as a tragic figure, who is guided by his destiny. Shakespeare initially introduces Romeo to be a romantic sentimentalist, who is over-obsessed with his own emotions. Romeo, however, loses these personality traits towards the end of the play, and becomes more mature after falling deeply in love with Juliet. His love for her is strong and over-whelming, and Shakespeare vividly represents this by dramatic visual moments throughout the play, culminating in the tragic climax of Romeo’s suicide, to join with his Juliet in death. Shakespeare introduces the audience to Romeo, a son of Lord Montague, whos House is involved in an ancient feud with the House of Capulet.
...ibutes to the play's charms as William is summarily dismissed by Touchstone (using his wit as usual); this satire of the pastoral convention of overcoming obstacles to love is humorous. Likewise, Phebe's insults of Silvius and Ganymede's chiding of Phebe draws laughter from the audience.