Mercutio's Impact on Romeo and Juliet

Mercutio's Impact on Romeo and Juliet

In Romeo and Juliet, we see many different and contrasting characters,

each playing a specific and individual role and each creating a

different and personal effect. Although Mercutio is shown and looked

upon as a secondary character, “Kinsman to the Prince and friend to

Romeo”, I believe he plays one of the most important roles in the

drama. Shakespeare has been clever in creating Mercutio, as he is not

born into either of the conflicting families he acts as just a

personal friend to Romeo, this means he has a freer role, and he can

do and say things that Romeo and other Montague’s cannot without

causing too much aggravation with the enemy. Mercutio has chosen to be

friend of Romeo and the Montague family, he does not dislike the

Capulets and never in the play wishes to injure any one of them in any

way, his main concern is for Romeo and basic peace between the two

houses. It was never his objective to get anyone from either family

killed.

The first time we see Mercutio, is in Act 1 Scene 4, he and Romeo,

together with a group of their friends and kinsmen, are on the way to

a party given by their own family’s enemy, Lord Capulet. Their plan is

to crash the party so that Romeo will have the opportunity to see his

love, Rosaline, whom they know, has been invited to the Capulet’s

mansion that evening. Romeo, originally thought the party-crashing

would be a wonderful idea, but suddenly is overcome by a sense of

great foreboding; although they “And we mean well in going to this

mask;

But 'tis no wit to go.” This annoys Mercutio, who does not recognize

Romeo’s reluctance as a genuine premonition, but feels it is simply

another example of Romeo’s lovesick whims. Romeo tries to explain to

Mercutio that it is based upon a very disturbing dream, and Mercutio

passes that off as silly, telling him that "Dreamers often lie." He is

not exactly saying that Romeo is a liar, but that he should not