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Mercutio (Jonathan Huelman, right) gives his famous Queen Mab speech to Romeo (Jacob Blumenfeld, left) in Act I, scene IV of Romeo and Juliet.
Mercutio (Jonathan Huelman, right) gives his famous Queen Mab speech to Romeo (Jacob Blumenfeld, left) in Act I, scene IV of Romeo and Juliet.

Mercutio is a character in William Shakespeare's famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare ( baptised Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the He is a relative of the Prince and Paris, and is a close friend of Romeo, and Romeo's cousin Benvolio. Prince Escalus', fictional Prince of Verona, is the mediator of the feuding families in William Shakespeare 's In William Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet, Count Paris is a suitor of Juliet 's Romeo Montague is a fictional character in William Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet. Benvolio Montague is a fictional character in William Shakespeare 's Drama Romeo and Juliet. The invitation to the Capulet's party states that he has a brother named Valentine. Mercutio is apt to make long, drawn out speeches (the most famous of which is the Queen Mab speech), and is generally thought to be reckless, a jokester, and a free spirit. Queen Mab is a Fairy referred to in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Recklessness (also called unchariness) is disregard for or indifference to the dangers of a situation or for the consequences of one's actions A jester, joker, jokester, fool, wit-cracker, prankster, or buffoon is a member of a profession that came into popularity Due to his quick wit and flamboyant, affable personality, Mercutio is one of Shakespeare's most popular characters. Wit is a form of intellectual Humour. A wit (person is someone skilled in making witty remarks

Though one of Romeo's best friends, Mercutio's facetious attitude tends to try Romeo's patience on occasion; conversely, Mercutio is frustrated with Romeo's depression that comes from Rosaline's denial of Romeo's love. Rosaline (ˈrɒzəlɪn or /ˈrɒzəliːn/ is an Unseen character and niece of Lord Capulet in William Shakespeare's Tragedy Romeo After Romeo has fallen for Juliet, Mercutio is pleased to see Romeo back to his normal, congenial state.

After Romeo receives a death threat from Tybalt, Mercutio expects Romeo to engage Tybalt in a duel. Tybalt is a fictional character in William Shakespeare 's play Romeo and Juliet. However, Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, as Tybalt is Juliet's cousin and therefore his kinsman. Not knowing this, Mercutio is incensed, and decides to fight Tybalt himself. Romeo, not wanting his best friend or his relative to get hurt, intervenes, causing Mercutio to be killed by Tybalt stabbing "under [Romeo's] arm. "

Before he dies, Mercutio casts "a plague o' both [Romeo and Tybalt]'s houses!" He makes one final pun before he dies: "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man. A pun (or paronomasia) is a Phrase that deliberately exploits confusion between similar-sounding Words for humorous or Rhetorical A grave is a place where a dead body (usually a human although sometimes an animal is buried . . . " In revenge for the murder of his best friend, Romeo slays Tybalt, thus leading to Romeo's banishment from Verona and the increasingly tragic turn of events that follows. Verona is a city and provincial capital in Veneto, Northern Italy.

Contents

Name origins

The name Mercutio was present in Shakespeare's sources for Romeo and Juliet, however his character was not well-established, and he was even presented as a romantic rival for Juliet. [1] Mercutio's name is related to the word "mercurial," meaning "having an unpredictable and fast changing mood," an accurate description of Mercutio's personality. The word "mercurial" itself derives from the ancient Roman messenger god Mercury (Greek: Hermes) whose other namesakes include the fast-moving planet Mercury, and the metal mercury, which is a liquid at room temperature and often called quicksilver for this reason. Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its God, as a male Deity, contrasts with female deities or " goddesses " "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Hermes ( Greek,, ˈhɝmiːz in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them of Shepherds and A planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU is a celestial body Orbiting a Star or stellar remnant that is The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across Mercury (ˈmɜrkjʊri also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum, is a Chemical element with the symbol Hg ( Latinized hydrargyrum

Appearance in The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet

In Shakespeare's source, Arthur Brooke's 1562 The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, Mercutio is briefly mentioned as a suitor of Juliet. The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet is a narrative poem first published in 1562 by Arthur Brooke, who is reported to have translated it from an Italian poem

At th' one side of her chair her lover Romeo, And on the other side there sat one called Mercutio; A courtier that each where was highly had in price, For he was courteous of his speech, and pleasant of device. Even as a lion would among the lambs be bold, Such was among the bashful maids Mercutio to behold. With friendly gripe he seized fair Juliet's snowish hand: A gift he had that Nature gave him in his swathing band, That frozen mountain ice was never half so cold, As were his hands, though ne'er so near the fire he did them hold. As soon as had the knight the virgin's right hand raught, Within his trembling hand her left hath loving Romeus caught.

-Brooke, 253-264

The death of Mercutio

Earlier versions of the story painted a different picture of the chain of events leading to Tybalt's death, leaving Mercutio out of the picture completely. Arthur Brooke's The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, as well as William Painter's 1567 version of the story both left the entire episode solely to Romeo and Tybalt. Arthur Brooke may refer to Arthur Brooke (poet Arthur Brooke (entrepreneur Arthur Brooks The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet is a narrative poem first published in 1562 by Arthur Brooke, who is reported to have translated it from an Italian poem William Painter (1540? - February 1594 London) English author was a native of Kent. In both stories, Tybalt attacks the peace-pleading Romeo with such force that he is forced to take up the sword for the sake of his own life. He is then banished rather than executed because the killing was done in self-defense.

The addition of Mercutio into the fray increases the tension, and Tybalt is seen as a slightly more peaceful character than in previous versions, as Mercutio is disgusted by the fact that Tybalt continues to search for a quarrel with Romeo, when Romeo is trying the bring peace between them. Because of his rashness, Mercutio hurls insults and taunts at Tybalt, and draws the sword first, in reaction to Tybalt's insults, which are directed to Romeo. Mercutio is, at this point, seen as though he wants to fight, even though he is neither Montague nor Capulet. His curse "a plague on both your houses", is foreboding, but the blame for his death lies largely on his own impulsiveness, not the feud. [2]

Like Patroclus in The Iliad, Mercutio's death in Act III, scene I is the pivotal turning point of the play. In Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos (Gr The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient [3] Before his death, Romeo and Juliet is essentially a comedy, revolving around references to doom and fate that seem far away. Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and Mercutio's death is sudden, and makes death a dark reality for several characters causing a domino effect of tragic fate that ultimately takes the lives of Tybalt, Paris, Romeo, Juliet, and Lady Montague. This article is about chain reactions. For the political theory, see Domino Theory. Destiny refers to a predetermined course of events It may be conceived as a predetermined future whether in general or of an individual The following is a list of characters in William Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet, sorted by family allegiance and alphabetically by first name where applicable [2]

The only mention of Mercutio is for foreshadowing later events in the play that will truly cause the play of Romeo and Juliet to become a tragedy and more than just a romantic comedy that it was before Mercutio's death, however Mercutio is neither a Capulet or a Montague, this creates irony that a death outside both houses causes the tragedy to set it in all because of the fiery Tybalt, he alone holds all responsibility for this tragedy. Because Mercutio's death signals the shift from comedy to tragedy (and also because his death occurs roughly halfway through the play), many productions of Romeo and Juliet place an intermission right after this scene. An intermission or interval is a break between two parts of performances or sessions in events such as a theatrical play, Opera or musical concert

Performers

A number of famous actors have played the role of Mercutio. A small sampling follows.

See also

References

  1. ^ Draper, John. William Shakespeare ( baptised Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the This article is an index of characters appearing in the plays of William Shakespeare whose names begin with the letters A through K W. 1939. "Shakespeare's 'Star-Crossed Lovers' ". The Review of English Studies 15 (57).
  2. ^ a b Utterback, Raymond V. "The Death of Mercutio. " Shakespeare Quarterly. (April 1973) 24. 2 pgs. 105-116
  3. ^ Maxwell, Jennifer. The Catalytic Function of Mercutio. (doc)

External links

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