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Mercutio In William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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Nothing in life is ever free. When we want something, we have to pay for it. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a classic romantic tragedy that follows two “star cross’d” lovers from rival houses that rebel against their family’s long-term feud for each other, shows us exactly that. In great pieces of literature, death scenes are often used to show a pivotal point in the work. Mercutio is one of Romeo’s best friends and Tybalt is the cousin of Juliet, which shows that they would be close to the two of them, making their deaths all the more significant. In the play Romeo and Juliet, the death of Mercutio and Tybalt illuminates the theme of selfishness, and how following our desires without considering the possible consequences, end up hurting ourselves and the people around us. …show more content…

Mercutio is one of Romeo’s closest friends. He tries to council Romeo through his heartbreak over Rosaline by bringing him to the annual Capulet house party, and even stands up for Romeo when Tybalt comes to Romeo seeking suppressed revenge on him for crashing the party. Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt because he considers him family, now that he is wedded to his cousin. Mercutio deems his attempt to reason with Tybalt as “vile submission” and a disappointed Mercutio takes on Tybalt instead, defending Romeo. When Mercutio is stabbed by Tybalt, he says “I was hurt under your arm.” (3.1, 102) Mercutio is the comic relief throughout the play and even in his final breaths, he is still making jokes, calling his fatal wounds “a scratch.” However, this tone quickly changes into anger as Mercutio blames Romeo for not standing up for him in a fight that was meant for Romeo in the first place. Romeo’s choosing to take the Capulet’s side because of his new bonds with them over his Mercutio shows how his selfish decision ends in the death of best

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