Mercutio's Personality

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".

Mercutio is an anti-romantic character even though his friend Romeo and him share different beliefs and traits. Even though he is a good friend of Romeo, he can never be trusted enough for people to tell him little secrets or private matters. Mercutio is antagonistic towards Tybalt however underneath

his tough outer look lay the deep values of honour, pride and loyalty. As well as that, he has a great sense of humour and a "witty" personality.

Mercutio's personality is exposed throughout the story.

The first sight of his mockery and anti-romantic beliefs are found in Act 1 Scene 4. In this scene, Mercutio is mocking Romeo for his notation of romantic union by saying "If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking and you beat love down."(1.4.27-28). This reinforces the previously made image that Mercutio is anti-romantic and that everybody has different views. In this case, Mercutio regards love as a physical pursuit whilst Romeo is an immature, inexperienced lover who is innocent and young. Mercutio is a neutral character in the feud between the two sides and he brings humour to the city during the war. Not only that, Mercutio possesses immense loyalty. When Mercutio hears of Tybalt's challenge to Romeo, he is amused because he regards Romeo as a lover and not a fighter. He asks "Is he such a man to encounter Tybalt?" (2.4.15-16). As Mercutio has a strong sense of honour and does not know why Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, he demonstrates his loyalty when he takes up Tybalt's challenge to defend his friend. Mercutio is killed shortly after as Tybalt stabbed

him.

The death of Mercutio was a turning point in the novel.

Ultimately, his death ended the quarrels between the Capulets and the Montagues. Mercutio's death turns the play from being a romantic comedy to a tragic tale. Even as he dies, he maintains his sense of humour. Mercutio says "No 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door, but 'tis enough, 'twill serve" (3.1.98-99). The character had made a major impact on me as he was an innocent person who placed others in front of his life. When he died, he cursed "A plague on both your houses" (3.1.92). Mercutio had blamed the Capulets and Montagues for his death. In my opinion, once the 2 sides saw Mercutio die, they realised that it was a result of their actions and their unnecessary war. Mercutio really touched me with his actions and beliefs; more than any other character in the play. It seemed to me that he was more influential dead rather than alive. Perhaps that is why I think he had such a dramatic impact on me. The fact that he was willing to defend his friend and die for him showed true loyalty and courage on Mercutio's part. But what would have happened if he had not died? Would the storyline be different? Would the tables not have turned? Would the feud still be

going?

In conclusion, I believe that Mercutio was a very important character in the play of "Romeo and Juliet". Mercutio was willing to sacrifice his life for the war between the Capulets and Montagues to be solved. His humorous personality and moments of pure genius really inspired me to sometimes take life in a different manner. Maybe that is what Shakespeare wanted. Sometimes, look away from the difficulties of life (in this case the quarrel between the Capulets and Montagues) and live life the way you want to. But there will be a time where you will need to face the music (and that was when he decided to end the war). Mercutio was able to do so but in the process, he was caught in the crossfire and died. No matter how good or evil someone is, everyone will die at some point in their lives. No one is immortal. I guess what I am trying to say is that Mercutio died for an unnecessary reason. Should we do more to protect innocent people?