You see, the story up until this point is somewhat happy and whimsical. Romeo had found a new love in Juliet, and no one (that we are aware of) had died as a result of the Montague, Capulet feud. Yet Mercutio’s curse becomes manifest within minutes. Romeo races off after Tybalt, and avenges Mercutio’s death. Then, Romeo is exiled from Verona. This begins an intricate series of murder, mishap, and mayhem, building up to the final conclusion, the death of Romeo and Juliet.
Love is often considered the main underlying theme in Romeo and Juliet. Whether it be the subtle love Romeo holds for Mercutio, or the more obvious affection he feels towards Rosaline at the start, and Juliet throughout the remainder of the play. Yet Mercutio’s spiteful words result in the destruction of both these loves. Out of love for Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt. This implies that Romeo’s love for Mercutio is greater than his love of Juliet. In killing Tybalt, Romeo effectively ends any chance of the Montague’s and Capulet’s reconciling in his lifetime. This damages his relationship with Juliet, the cousin of Tybalt. While she certainly loves Romeo, she holds much affection for her family, including Tybalt, and she is torn between the two. Eventually, she sides with Romeo, despite him putting his love of Mercutio ahead of his love of her.
Many could argue that Mercutio also holds great love for Romeo. Yet on his deathbed, Mercutio sees just how much his death can be blamed on Romeo. Had Romeo not held him back, Mercutio may have been able to parry the blow from Tybalt’s blade. But it was Romeo’s restriction of Mercutio that left the kinsman of the Prince defenceless, ultimately resulting in his death. Mercutio may realise this, resulting in him cursing both the Montague’s, and the Capulet’s.
However, Mercutio may have realised, as so many others failed to do, that he was merely another body, dragged into the Capulet-Montague war. As a kinsman of the Prince, the war was not a problem of Mercutio’s. He had been dragged into it by his friend, Romeo, and was needlessly killed. Had the Capulet’s nor the Montague’s gotten into this war in the first place, then dear Mercutio might have lived a somewhat longer, and more meaningful life. Mercutio was merely killed in the crossfire, and his death results in the murder of several other prominent characters.
Mercutio’s death acts to challenge the constant theme of love, and effectively changes not just the plot of the play, but the genre, and overall feel. It leads to a string of murders, changing the play from the original, whimsical comedy, into a somewhat morbid tragedy. Deaths become more and more frequent, until the death of both Romeo and Juliet acts to bring the feuding families together. Mercutio’s curse seems to be lifted, and Verona becomes a happier place. Thus ends the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet.
