Similarities Between Romeo And Mercutio

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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare has many contrasting characters, but the most prominent are Romeo and Mercutio. Romeo is a hopeless romantic, while Mercutio believes that love is a strictly physical ordeal. Mercutio has a strong sense of misogyny, while Romeo believes that monogamy and equal partnership reign true. Romeo and Mercutio contrast each other by their distinct personalities and beliefs, as well as their attitudes towards women and life.
Mercutio has always had an anti-romantic mentality, and shows no restraint in voicing his opinion and chastising others for their beliefs. Mercutio uses poetry to mock Romeo for his vision of love in Act II, “Romeo, Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh, speak but one rhyme and I am satisfied,” (II.1.7-9). He obviously has a very cynical side and does not mind showing it to people, no matter how those people react to him. On the other hand, Romeo has always had a very ardent sense of love. Romeo shows deep understanding of his love for Rosaline by exclaiming, "Did …show more content…

He consistently degrades women by making jokes about them and mocking people who view women as more than pieces of meat. Mercutio illustrates this when mocking Romeo for his love for Rosaline by saying, “If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking and you beat love down,”(I.4.27-28). Romeo values love and women and believes that marriage is a partnership and is mutually beneficial, and that women are worth more than their bodies. Romeo shows this by saying, “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love is as deep; the more love I give to thee the more I have, for both are infinite,” (II.2.133-135). He shows a very deep understanding of how love is supposed to be and how women should be valued. Romeo knows that love goes both ways and is not only physical and that women are to be loved and treated as an

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