Mercutio's Fairies

Romeo’s lovesick moping for Rosaline sparks a need for a wild rant within Mercutio. Mercutio taunts and mocks Romeo, for his dream which tells him they should not crash the Capulet’s party. This, in the end, all falls back on the theme of fate. As a result, Mercutio’s rant persuades Romeo to attend the party because after all, dreams are ridiculous and not always truthful. Additionally, Mercutio is suggesting that, like Queen Mab, dreams (specifically Romeo’s) are petty and insignificant. All of this takes place in Act once Scene four. The purpose of this speech is to add comic relief amongst the tragic events, whilst foreshadowing what’s to come. Romeo is constructed as a juvenile character with a dreamy nature, who is romantic and lovesick , in comparison to his best friend, Mercutio, who takes on the role as a comedic, volatile, pessimistic and sharp-witted personality.

Mercutio’s role to Romeo and Juliet takes many shapes and forms. Mercutio is the opposite of Romeo when it comes to love, as he says “If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking and you beat love down. (1.4.27-28)” While Romeo believes in love both ways in a relationship, Mercutio believes that long-standing love isn’t real. Also, Mercutio isn’t technically a Montague or a Capulet, so he doesn’t really take the feud or love very seriously. Mercutio is also quick tempered, and even though he isn’t truly a Montague he is shown like a counterpart to Tybalt because he likes to side with the Montagues. Like Tybalt, Mercutio is quick to go to his sword, “O calm, dishonourable, vile submission. Alla staccato carries it away. Tybalt you rat catcher, will you walk?(3.1.74-76)” When Romeo rejects Tybalt’s offer to fight, Mercutio draws his sword to save Romeo’s name, but also because his love to fight. Mercutio offers as a contrast between houses, sort of like the man in the middle in Romeo and

”(Romeo and Juliet 3.1.83-91). The significance of this quote is that it shows that it was the death of Mercutio that caused Romeo to start a fight with Tybalt regardless of the Prince’s previous order that if their families ever disrupted the civil peace again, death would be the punishment. This shows the importance of Mercutio’s character because without him, the fight between Romeo and Tybalt would not have happened. Mercutio’s death continued to show his strong importance in this play. Mercutio pushed the story forward by causing Romeo to fight

Mercutio is a loyal friend of Romeo. Mercutio is always standing up for him and makes it known that Romeo is one of them. Tybalt can’t call Romeo his man because he is not wearing Tybalts clothing to call Romeo "his man’’. Mercutio is always there to stand up for Mercutio when he needs help. Mercutio was there to stand up for Romeo when Tybalt called him a villain.

He asserts the fact that he is more than willing to, and unhesitant, to step up for Romeo, even if Romeo is faced with violent and uncertain situations, which indirectly characterises Mercutio as a person who is courageous, is willing to be aggressive, and to use violent means in order to maintain either Romeo or his pride and status, accurately matching the symbolic meaning of a

In Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech, Mercutio is talking about the unrequited love of Romeo and Rosaline and how pointless it is for Romeo to keep dreaming about Rosaline when she probably does not know he exists. Mercutio is trying to make a point to Romeo with humor and to also be serious. Mercutio did a good job of that by saying the Queen Mab speech in Act one, Scene

In the play Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio serves as a foil to Romeo. When discussing love, we can see how Mercutio's lighthearted and silly comments emphasize Romeo's melancholy personality and serious opinions on love. Romeo tells Mercutio he “[has] a soul of lead [that] stakes [him] to the ground [so he] cannot move”. Clearly, Romeo is being a bit dramatic when describing how sad he feels, such as when he says “Under love's heavy burden do I sink”. Mercutio’s response is almost like a joke, as he tells Romeo to “borrow Cupid's wings, and soar with them above a common bound”, basically telling Romeo to find love elsewhere and be happy.

When Romeo arrives, he meets Juliet from the Capulet family. They talk, kiss, and fall in love. Romeo is more content than ever, and Mercutio mocks Romeo’s vision of love saying “Romeo, Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh, Speak but one rhyme and I am satisfied.” (A2SI) While Romeo is caught up in his romantic love, Mercutio mocks love and views love as merely a sexual

This results in Romeo’s fate to be darkened. Second, Mercutio shows how Romeo is constantly dreaming. Mercutio’s realism contrasts Romeo’s head in the clouds. This is revealed when Mercutio says “True, I talk of dreams, which [is] the [child] of an [inactive] brain,” (1.4, 96-97). This quote exemplifies that dreaming cannot be a portent, and that it can change just like the wind. This also shows that Mercutio has a flamboyant imagination, while demonstrating his mocking side. This quote also acts as foreshadowing in which shows that if Romeo keeps his head in the clouds he will make mistakes in life, such as him quickly marring Juliet. Moreover, this quote reveals that Mercutio is an important foil character because his view on love contrasts that of Romeo. Mercutio’s view on love is that it is futile, however Romeo thinks of it as a key component to life. Mercutio’s mocking of the hopeless love, makes Romeo’s view look stronger and more passionate. Third, Mercutio shows how serious Romeo is. Mercutio always talks in a witting and light-hearted way, in which contrasts to Romeo’s seriousness. Mercutio always uses clever wordplay and puns to mock people and bring comic relief into the play. This is emphasized when Mercutio says “And but one word with one of us? ... Make it a word and a blow,” (3.1, 40-41). This quote illustrates the comedy that Mercutio brings. At the edgy moment when Tybalt was about to fight, Mercutio still made a mockery of him.

Mercutio is a funny character who is made to entertain the audience with his sarcasm, wit, and banter. In all of his scenes he is never very serious, almost always making jokes, even in his final moments as he is dying he continues to make puns. He also has a feisty, hotheaded side which is shown when he challenges Tybalt to a duel. Mercutio is very much the antithesis of Romeo. Romeo is a sweet, passionate romantic which contrasts Mercutio’s sarcastic personality and cynical views on love.

Tybalt intended to fight Romeo because he disliked his presence at the Capulet’s party but after Romeo refuses to fight Mercutio feels the need to fight for him instead. This is not the only time Mercutio is a display of masculinity in the play. As Romeo’s friend he likes to mock him, calling him an petrarchan lover and joking about his version of love. The difference to Romeo is also found when juxtaposing how Romeo and Mercutio speak. For instance, when Romeo talks about the girls he is in love with or has a crush on he talks in poetic sentences. In comparision, Mercutios:” Laura was a kitchen slave. Surely she has a better love to make rhymes for her. Dido was shabbily dressed. Cleopatra was a gypsy girl. Helen and Hero were sluts and harlots.

In Act 2, scene 1, Mercutio calls for Romeo by saying, "Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover!

Delvaux’s painting consist of a eight nearly identical woman sitting in chairs outside the doorways of grey rowhomes which head down a thin, long road. Towards the background of the painting, the houses are replaced by a lengthy, white wall and the road starts to bend dramatically. At the bend there is a black-hatted man walking away from the viewer and on the other side of the wall there are mermaids. Both the man and the mermaids are miniscule due to the extended perspective of the painting. The Village of The mermaids’ is confusing for many reasons. It has no central subject and uses size and perspective to minimize key figures and symbols that help the viewer form a holistic conclusion about it’s meaning. The Village of the Mermaids’ is not unlike a hydra, for every question answered two arise in its place. The painting has mysterious, eerie sentiment that plays on the viewer’s discomfort with the unknown. The Village of the Mermaids’ uses subtly unconventional geometry and positioning to achieve contradictory symbolism and ultimately a sense of discombobulation, but Mueller’s poetic analysis of the the painting fails to capture the full depth of this state of quiet disarray because people often feel the need to ground surrealist work in reality.

The relationship that Mercutio has with Romeo is sturdy in all areas except love. This opposition can clearly be seen when Montague talks about Romeo’s depression over Roseline. “And private in his chamber pens himself, shuts up his windows,

Mercutio, despite the circumstances displays his lighthearted nature. The actor should speak in a mocking voice, tauntingly circling Tybalt who should react with restrained anger, clenched fists and a hand on his sword. Mercutcio continues this, ignoring benvolios vain attempts at keeping the peace, until Romeo enters from the corner of the stage. With his entrance Tybalt finally breaks out of Mercutcios circle to face Romeo. He should say the line "here