Later on in the play, when Tybalt arrives to fight Romeo, Mercutio stands in for Romeo as he is loyal towards his best friend. . What did Shakespeare’s audience know about Italy? This is Mercutio's response after Romeo tells him he dreamt of Rosaline. He is not a Montague or a Capulet. From reading this extract, what are the similarities between Tybalt and Mercutio? Mercutio is a character in Romeo and Juliet. Read More. Character analysis of Mercutio Mercutio is one of the most unique characters in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Overall Mercutio shows that he is brave, a loyal friend, and at the same time funny throughout Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio is the first. highlighting the cunning side of Tybalt's personality - he is ridiculing him. The group of friends meet in the town square every day and just hang out, laughing and joking and amusing themselves with banter and silly games. On the day that Romeo goes to Friar Laurence’s cell to marry Juliet in secret his friends gather as usual and wonder where he is. Unlike the other adherence to fashion. That turns the laughter into a stunned silence as his friends watch him die. He is taunting Tybalt suggesting he is slow to get his sword ready to fight. Their conflict fuels the play’s events and how they interact with one another. They both believe they will uphold their household's honour. Mercutio is Romeo's best friend. Though he constantly puns, jokes, and teases—sometimes Please log in again. highlighting that he is ready for the fight. Visit BN.com to buy new and used textbooks, and check out our award-winning NOOK tablets and eReaders. He is admired by all the young men who gravitate towards Romeo and his cousin Benvolio, and he entertains them with his wit and his madcap antics. Mercutio's concern is always for Romeo and for peace between the two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. He misinterprets what is happening and tries to stop them. Because of the clever, witty and complex speeches Shakespeare gives him, Mercutio is often the character actors want to play, despite having a relatively limited role. When Tybalt accuses Mercutio of consorting with Romeo Mercutio pretends to be offended, jokingly turning the word consort into another of the meanings of “consort.” – a group of minstrels. Although Tybald doesn’t know it it was at that party that Romeo and Juliet met and decided, after the party, to get married. Mercutio approaches the encounter with humour and Tybalt enters into the spirit of it. Mercutio is the Prince's kinsman, but more importantly, he is Romeo's friend and confidant. Mercutio is Romeo's friend. There is always the danger that a fight may break out among the young men, and following a recent incident the Prince of Verona has ruled that if it does, the person responsible will be punished so the young men of both families are careful about that. In this example, Shakespeare also reveals Mercutio’s confidence, arrogance and power. True? sentiments and blind self-love that exist within the play. When Romeo is depressed because of his unrequited love for Rosaline, it is Mercutio that suggests they should all gate-crash the Capulet party. With a lightning-quick wit and a clever mind, Mercutio Good King of Cats, nothing but one of your nine lives. He is related to the Prince and not a member of either feuding family. Character of Tybalt: Profile, Traits & Analysis Balcony Scene in Romeo and Juliet: Summary & Analysis 8:50 Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet: Character Analysis, Personality & Traits 5:28 When Tybalt stabs Mercutio and he is severely hurt, Mercutio attempts to joke by saying it is a 'scratch' but when he realises the severity of his situation, he dies cursing the two households. © 2004 – 2020 No Sweat Digital Ltd. All rights reserved. Mercutio is Romeo’s best friend and they are very close. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Romeo runs after Tybalt. He curses both families and dies. This list of Shakespeare plays brings together all 38 plays in alphabetical order. Read More. questioning whether Tybalt will fight with him. Mercutio declares he wants one of Tybalt's nine lives, indicating that he believes he will win the fight. all Montagues and Capulets. Characters Mercutio With a lightning-quick wit and a clever mind, Mercutio is a scene stealer and one of the most memorable characters in all of Shakespeare’s works. Read about our approach to external linking. The reason Shakespear probably put a character like Mercutio into Romeo and Juliet was to give the story more than one genera so that it would not be just a sad story but also a comedy and an adventure. Mercutio is the Prince's kinsman, but more importantly, he is Romeo's friend and confidant. Mercutio's concern is always for Romeo and for peace between the two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. in fun, sometimes with bitterness—Mercutio is not a mere jester Mercutio is Romeo's best friend. That I mean to make bold withal and, as you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the eight. Mercutio is loyal when Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, as he decides to fight Tybalt instead. (act 2, scene 1), prick love for pricking and you beat love down! Mercutio  is interrupted in the middle of one of his antics by the arrival of a group of young Capulets led by Juliet’s hot tempered cousin, Tybalt. Mercutio is technically a minor character, but his personality has such a disproportionate impact that maybe he has to die or he would take over the play. Sign in, choose your GCSE subjects and see content that's tailored for you. All of this proves that he is one the best characters within the play. Probably not.But it helps us get an idea of just how flashy M… The critic Stephen Greenblatt describes Mercutio It is with his death and Romeo’s response to it that the comic mood changes and the path to a tragic end is set. Mercutio makes fun of Romeo when he declares he feels sick because of the love he has for Rosaline. And he is resentful about his uncle having told him to behave himself. Mercutio is a natural entertainer and plays to the crowd. force. He mocks Romeo feels it necessary to defend Mercutio's honor and kills Tybalt. Tybalt and Mercutio engage in some banter. Even as Tybalt is dying, his arrogance is evident when he refers to Romeo derogatorily as a "boy." is a scene stealer and one of the most memorable characters in all Shakespeare’s 10 most influential characters, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Characters List, All’s Well That Ends Well Characters List, The Merry Wives of Windsor Characters List, The Most Powerful Shakespeare Female Characters, The Two Gentlemen of Verona Characters List, https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/characters/mercutio-romeo-juliet/. Both parties trade insults prior to the fight. Home Economics: Food and Nutrition (CCEA). This is the turning point in the play. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The Prince banishes him and the action moves swiftly to its climax with the tragic death of the young lovers. Mercutio is Romeo’s best friend and they are very close. During this pretend fight Romeo arrives, full of joy. of romantic love and the power of tragic fate. of Shakespeare’s works. I see Queen Mab hath been with you tonight (act 1, scene 4), a plague on both your houses (act 3, scene 1), speak but one rhyme and I am satisfied! With his wild words, Mercutio punctures the romantic His language is powerful and imaginative. Verona is divided by an ancient feud between its two most prominent families – the Montagues and the Capulets. This is insulting, as Mercutio is questioning Tybalt's honour and integrity. He does not take sides but because of his friendship with the Montague, Romeo, he hangs out with the Montagues. ‘Does’t thou make us minstrels?’ he says and draws his sword. as a force within the play that functions to deflate the possibility When Romeo is depressed because of his unrequited love for Rosaline, it is Mercutio that suggests they should all gate-crash the Capulet party. "Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher by the ears? He is highly intelligent, witty, sophisticated, well educated, and also playful and very funny. The fact that Mercutio is telling Tybalt to 'make haste' will only taunt Tybalt further, as he is suggesting Tybalt is a coward. It is midday in the middle of summer and scorching hot. The characters of the play can be categorised into two groups - the Montagues and the Capulets. Mercutio likes to have a good laugh, is optimistic, loyal and a good friend. He goes between them, turning from one to the other, and at one point Tybalt stabs Mercutio under Romeo’s arm by mistake. Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out. In fact, English poet John Dryden said that Shakespeare himself admitted that he had to kill Mercutio—or else, he said, Mercutio would have killed him. Realising what he’s done he flees, followed by his friends. Mercutio makes fun of Tybalt's fencing ability, claiming it is all bark and little bite. It is believed that Shakespeare wrote 38 plays in total between 1590 and 1612. Make haste.". Mercutio is the first to see that Romeo is deeply. Mercutio understands that Romeo's love for Rosaline isn't true and ridicules him for it, saying openly that Romeo, being the dreamer, can often lie. He was stopped from doing anything about it by his uncle, who did not mind that the young Motagues had come to the party. The login page will open in a new tab. He does not take sides but because of his friendship with the Montague, Romeo, he hangs out with the Montagues. They fight ferociously and Romeo kills Tybalt. This is because he cannot stand to see Romeo's honour jeopardised in the face of his enemy. Mercutio as played by Harold Perrineau. Mercutio believes that specific people One secondary character, Mercutio, is essential to the play. This shows Mercutio taking Romeo's place to fight Tybalt. Mercutio cannot believe that Romeo would sacrifice his honour in this way, so he fights Tybalt instead. Romeo and Mercutio’s other friends do not realise that Mercutio has been mortally wounded. He is still angry about the previous evening when he had caught Romeo and his friends gate-crashing a party his uncle, Juliet’s father, was holding. Mercutio ridicules Romeo's 'love' for Rosaline claiming it is false. The two enter into a theatrical play fight with both groups laughing at the comical scene. Why are there sonnets in Romeo and Juliet. are responsible for his death rather than some external impersonal Benvolio is nervous because he has heard that there are Capulets about and in this weather, when the hot blood is stirring, anything could happen. He's dirty, funny, out of control, and—we'll say it—compared to him, Romeo and Juliet can seem whiny and repetitive. Mercutio likes to have a good laugh, is. Mercutio is Romeo's best friend. He represents many different things in the play and holds an important role. He is related to the Prince and not a member of either feuding family. or prankster. He dies halfway through the action. When Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, Mercutio steps up and Tybalt kills him. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. Though he constantly puns, jokes, and teases—sometimes in fun, sometimes with bitterness—Mercutio is not a mere jester or prankster. Mercutio jokes about it but finally shows them the wound and falls down. Mercutio likes to have a good laugh, is optimistic, loyal and a good friend. (act 1, scene 4), not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door, but ’tis enough (act 3, scene 1), If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark 21 (act 2, scene 1), They have made worms’ meat of me (act 3, scene 1), Romeo and Juliet | Romeo and Juliet summary | Romeo and Juliet characters: Benvolio, Friar Laurence, Juliet, Mercutio, Queen Mab, Romeo, Tybalt, | Romeo and Juliet settings | Romeo and Juliet themes | Romeo and Juliet in modern English | Romeo and Juliet full text | Modern Romeo and Juliet ebook | Romeo and Juliet for kids ebooks | Romeo and Juliet quotes | Romeo and Juliet quote translations | Romeo and Juliet monologues | Romeo and Juliet soliloquies | Romeo and Juliet movies | Romeo and Juliet performance history. Romeos self-indulgence just as he ridicules Tybalt’s hauteur and Each Shakespeare’s play name links to a range of resources about each play: Character summaries, plot outlines, example essays and famous quotes, soliloquies and monologues: All’s Well That Ends Well Antony and Cleopatra As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Coriolanus Cymbeline Hamlet Henry IV Part 1 Henry IV Part 2 Henry VIII Henry VI Part 1 Henry VI Part 2 Henry VI Part 3 Henry V Julius Caesar King John King Lear Loves Labour’s Lost Macbeth Measure for Measure The Merchant of Venice The Merry Wives of Windsor A Midsummer Night’s Dream Much Ado About Nothing Othello Pericles Richard II Richard III Romeo & Juliet  The Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus Troilus & Cressida  Twelfth Night The Two Gentlemen of Verona The Winter’s Tale. Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher by the ears? characters who blame their deaths on fate, Mercutio dies cursing For now, he is just angry, driven by his irrational, baseless hatred for the Montagues. Members of the families avoid each other and move in completely different social circles. Mercutio is a showstopper. Our team of exam survivors will get you started and keep you going.

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