Mercutios Death in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet

Mercutios Death in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet In Romeo and Juliet Mercutio is the faithful friend of Romeo. His death comes as a huge shock to the audience, in Act three, Scene one, when he is brutally murdered by Tybalt, the violent cousin of Juliet. To understand the rest of the statement, one also has to look at the difference between a comedy and a tragedy. Shakespeares plays can be separated into three different categories, the comedy, tragedy and the history. The comedy included amusing characters, with a familiar style of writing, humorous incidents and most importantly a happy ending. In contrast, the tragedy used serious or unhappy characters, a more serious, unnatural†¦show more content†¦The language he uses, puns and innuendoes along with his familiar style show Mercutio as definitely comedy personified. On the other hand, we can learn a lot more about Mercutio from Act one, Scene four, where we see another side of him. Mercutio comes across as being unpredictable and violent, as he changes from being joyful to being angry about dreams. We can see this from the way he speaks, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I talk of dreams, which are the children of an idle brainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The way that Mercutio changes personality suddenly, and how his words seem to become more and more irate and horrible, This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, that presses them and makes them first to bear, all make him seem erratic and perhaps even frightening. This other side to Mercutio that talks with the powerful, strong metaphorical images in verse is not how we imagine comedy. However, although Mercutio is unpredictable in this scene, he is mainly a witty character, who appeals to the audience greatly with his language used. I therefore believe that he is comedy personified as he is very clever and comical overall. I think that his death and actions are very important to the play, as he has a fascinating character so that the audience can relate to him, the tension builds up and they becomeShow MoreRelatedRomeo and Juliet Gender Roles1251 Words   |  6 PagesGender Roles in Romeo and Juliet In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet resorts to conniving and shrewd ways in order to control her destiny and free herself from her confined existence. Contrary to the critics who view Juliet as innocent, childish and immature, Juliet’s habits of manipulating people–particularly the men in her life, expressly Romeo–through simulating maleness implies a parallel between the approaches falconers (mostly males) use to train their falcons (mostly females)Read MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1152 Words   |  5 Pagesswords as Tybalt of the House Capulet and Mercutio on behalf of the House Montague duel viciously in the streets. As citizens cheer, thirsty for blood, the cries of Romeo Montague increase in volume; for the sake of his new wife, and the penalty recently imposed, he does not want this fight to take place. He is ignored. Desperate, Romeo flings himself between the two men, and a gasp is heard—Tybalt and his companio ns flee in fear as a bleeding Mercutio sinks to the ground. Another friend, BenvolioRead MorePetrol Station Scene Analysis844 Words   |  4 PagesIn the Petrol Station scene, William Shakespeare’s important theme of violence is amplified and discussed through Baz Luhrmann’s filmic interpretation. The theme of conflict between the Montagues and the Capulets is a constant and crucial idea throughout the play. Baz Luhrmann has highlighted the traditional Shakespearean language by modifying the setting to a modern context, therefore the audience is able to relate to the text. Furthermore, the setting choice of a petrol station provides the filmRead MoreRomeo and Juliet FOIL Characters Essay1569 Words   |  7 Pagesliterature more prudent than in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as he effectively engages the use of foil characters. In the play, two lovers from opposing, and hateful families fall in love, but the hatred between households lead to their down fall. Characters in the immoral city of Verona are set to represent key themes and elements of tragedy, and these features are illuminated by the strong use of foil characters. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s qualities are emphasizedRead MoreMercutio - a Monodimensional and Static Character in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet?1718 Words   |  7 PagesDiscuss Mercutio in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in terms of character dimension, character development and his relation to major themes of the play. When looking at the content of characters in Shakespeare’s play „Romeo and Julietâ€Å" one can find a total of 21 people that are mentioned by name. While it is self-evident that characters such as Romeo and Juliet are essential to the play due to the fact that they form its title, a reader could ask what role the others might play in a literary contextRead MoreShakespeares Romeo and Juliet and Baz Luhrmanns Romeo + Juliet 1154 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeares The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, set in 16th century Verona, Italy shares differences with Baz Luhrmanns Romeo + Juliet, set in modern day Verona Beach. These stories contain the same characters and conflict, however major and minor discrepancies are galore in the story lines of both formats of William Shakespeares creation. Some major inconsistencies occur, such as Mercutio dying at a beach, portrayed as a hero, instead of being at a bar, looking like a fool, Friar LawrencesRead MoreEssay about Dramati c Irony in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet877 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story about two lovers who are from two disputing families, and their eventual suicides. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony throughout the play to create tension for the audience and foreshadow the ending. Dramatic irony is when the words or actions of characters in a story have a different meaning to the reader than to the characters. This is because the reader knows something that the characters do not. Romeo and Juliet’s death could have been preventedRead MoreAct III, Scene I: the Pivotal Scene in Romeo and Juliet Essay1011 Words   |  5 Pages In the classic tale of two star crossd lovers, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare dabbles with both the comic and tragic genres (Prologue, Line 6). The play starts in the traditional comic form but undergoes a transformation in Act III, Scene I. In this scene, the death of Mercutio, and consequential death of Tybalt , transform the play into a tragedy. With each death comes a change that alters the course of the rest of the play. Mercutios death results in an inversion of the plays genre. TraditionalRead MoreThe Role of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet Essay examples528 Words   |  3 PagesThe Role of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet In William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, each character plays a specific role in driving the action forward and shaping the plays theme. One secondary character, Mercutio, is essential to the play. Mercutio is the Princes kinsman, but more importantly, he is Romeos friend and confidant. Mercutios concern is always for Romeo and for peace between the two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Mercutio is the firstRead More Mercutio as Catalyst in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet2317 Words   |  10 PagesMercutio as Catalyst in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, the quick-witted character Mercutio â€Å"is a notorious scene-stealer† (Utterback 105). Mercutio’s major function in the play is to be a catalyst for the plot. Mercutio’s purpose as a character is most significantly revealed in his relationship with Romeo, his baiting of Tybalt, and his death. More importantly, Mercutio functions as the catalyst for the pattern of disasters in the