Ryan, Madison

Period 6
Boske
19 May 2015
Mer-cool-io or Mer-jerk-io?

Romeo and Juliet is a time old love story, telling the tale of two young lovers and their

tragic ending. I play the character of Mercutio, a smart-mouthed friend of Romeos, in Scene 1

of Act III. In this portion of the play, Mercutio stirs up trouble between himself and Tybalt of the

rivaling Capulets, using disrespectful referrals and rhetorical devices. In the end, he is slain by

the man he was antagonizing, who in turn is killed by Romeo. In this essay, I will explore

Mercutios character, including his aspirations and speech patterns.

First, it seems Mercutio is pining for a brawl, and is using his ever present wit and humor

to egg on his potential adversary. While Tybalt approaches him with a somewhat polite

demeanor, Mercutio manages to twist everything the Capulet says into a brusque joke. After

Tybalt leaves Mercutio to menace the recently-married Romeo, Mercutio interrupts their

contretemps, inquiring to Tybalt of whether or not he will walk.When asked of Mercutios

intentions, he responds, Good King of Cats, nothing but one of your nine lives, that I mean to

make bold withal, and, as you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the eight(III.i.76-81).

This is a blatant call to action, simultaneously threatening Tybalt and persuading him to draw

and fight. Mercutios persistence into starting a clash shows that he is belligerent and impudent.

He uses his humor not only as a jokester, but as a means of angering a foe.

Furthermore, Mercutios speech as an indicator of his intentions and personality. In this

scene, his usage of thou and you provides a clear picture. When speaking with Tybalt on the

subject of finding reasons to fight, Mercutio says, Could you not take some occasion without

giving (III.i.19-21)? This use of you shows that he is being distinctly rude to Tybalt, and that

he wishes his words to be insulting and aggravating. Also, he uses metaphor to mock his
opposers words. When Mercutios friendship with Romeo is addressed, Mercutio says, Heres

my fiddlestick. Heres that shall make you dance. Zounds, consort (III.i.19-24)!

Here, Mercutio uses metaphor to call his sword a fiddlestick, to elaborate on his previous

minstrels pun in a derisive manner. Both of these instances illustrate that Mercutio is rather

disrespectful in nature, and sarcastic to his maximum capacity.

Finally, Mercutios thought processes can be evaluated through his style of talking. His
use of prose and Iambic Pentameter displays his emotions and level of sincerity.Throughout the
scene, he speaks in prose, using his humors and jokes as something to hide behind. However,
when Tybalt refers to Romeo in a way meaning servant, Mercutio uses Iambic in an exhibit of
anger. But Ill be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery./Marry, go before to field, hell be your
follower./Your worship in that sense may call him man(III.i.27-31) It can be noticed that there
are a few additional syllables to a couple of the lines--this signals that Mercutios heart is
quickening, a result of intense emotion. Also, when Romeo comes between Tybalt and Mercutio,
Mercutio shares a line with Romeo.
ROMEO: Hold, Tybalt! Good Mercutio!
MERCUTIO: I am hurt. (III.i.56-59)
This signifies the correlation between Romeos words and actions to Mercutios injury. It also
illustrates Mercutio;s use of Iambic in one of his most dramatic moments. Overall, Mercutio
often uses jokes to cover up his true feelings, and can only be truly sincere in his most emotional
instants.
In conclusion, Mercutio is a mischievous jester, who uses his humor to hide his true
feelings. He can be quite hostile, but in a mocking manner that makes himself laugh. However,
he can be quite sincere, but only in his most devastatingly poignant moments. This is explicated
throughout Scene 1 of Act 3, from his aggressive (yet laughable) demeanors to his ultimate
death.