Romeo and Juliet
Uploaded by abcreighton on Apr 12, 2005
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet was a tragic love story. Romeo was from the Montague family, and Juliet was from the Capulet family. The two families despised each other; there was a lot of conflict between them. Romeo and Juliet are both around 14 years old. There are many interesting characters in this story but I chose to write about Mercutio, Romeo’s pessimistic friend, because he seemed like a character I can relate to in some ways. Mercutio is an anti-romantic character who mocks Romeo for being in love with Rosaline then Juliet. I believe Mercutio is responsible for the outcome of everything tragic because of his personality and actions.
I see Mercutio to be a very sarcastic person about many things, usually love. He always has something smart to say to Romeo for being helplessly in love. Mercutio makes fun of Romeo’s sorrow over his love for Rosaline. He finds it humorous that Romeo is so sick in love with her. His love for her, says Mercutio, is based on a weak foundation, much like how dreams do not hold strong ground. Romeo didn’t appreciate these comments Mercutio makes but he didn’t hold it against him. Romeo later met Juliet, and fell in love with her.
Mercutio is also a very insolent person. In Act II Scene 4, he gets very short tempered with Juliet’s nurse, and calls her a bawd, which is a woman who runs a house of prostitution. Mercutio also sings an offending song to the nurse, “An old hare hoar, and an old hare hoar, is very good meat in Lent. But a hare that is hoar, is too much for a score, when it hoars ere it be spent.” The nurse was very insulted and angry that he would treat her like one of his “loose women”. She then complains that her servant, Peter, didn’t come to her defense.
In Act III Scene 1, Mercutio and Tybalt exchange some words and want to fight, Benvolio steps between them and explains that it’s not a good idea because everyone is watching. Mercutio, being the persistent person that he is, decides to disregard the advice his friend has just given him. Tybalt and Mercutio begin to fight, Romeo steps between the two of them, but Tybalt stabs Mercutio under Romeo’s arm. As he lays there dying, he still makes insulting comments towards Tybalt. Romeo blames himself for...