Mercutio's Role In Romeo And Juliet

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One of William Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, Romeo and Juliet, tells the story of two star-crossed lovers from opposite families that are victims to ill-fated circumstances that force them to eventually take their own lives. Romeo and Juliet meet each other for the first time at a party and they fall in love and eventually decide to get married. Mercutio is the closest friend to Romeo and plays an important role in his life. Mercutio's concern is always for Romeo and for peace between the two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Mercutio is the first to see that Romeo is deeply in love. Tybalt, is Juliet's cousin who kills Mercutio and Romeo kills Tybalt in return and is exiled from Verona. Juliet is being forced to marry…show more content…
Romeo quickly decides that he is in love with Juliet even though he has not yet spoken to her. Mercutio mocks Romeo’s instant love by saying, “The ape is dead, and I must conjure him.—I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes, by her high forehead and her scarlet lip” (Shakespeare, Act 2, Scene 1, line 0796). Mercutio is poking fun at Romeo’s new love with his previous crush on Rosaline. Mercutio is aware of Romeo’s past and he questions how deeply in love Romeo really is. In act 2 scene 2, Romeo is outside Juliet’s balcony, expressing his deep love. They both exchange lovely thoughts and they are so infatuated with each other. When Juliet inquired Romeo about how he was able to leap the garden wall, Romeo responds, “With love’s light wings did I o'erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out, and what love can do, that dares love attempt” (Shakespeare, Act 2, Scene 2, line 0894). Through his mockery of Romeo, Mercutio makes this scene seem exaggerated. Romeo just met and fell in love with Juliet but he jeopardizes his life and goes against his family to see Juliet. After Mercutio’s mockery of Romeo’s love, the reader does not feel sensitive towards his wooing and brings out the immature
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