“If love be rough with you, then be rough with love.”
Mercutio teases Romeo, in Act 1 Scene 4:
“Romeo! Humours! Madman! Passion! Lover! Appear though in the likeness of a sigh.”
This shows how Mercutio cannot understand Romeo's love for Juliet, and that he sees his love as a confusion of emotions, and that it is not true love. Mercutio is very independent and free, and does not understand how someone could want or need anyone else in his life. Mercutio wants to live his life as it happens. He wants to be free to do what he wants when he wants. He is not interested in being in love with anyone.
There are two main reasons Mercutio's character is important to the plot of Romeo & Juliet.
Firstly, Mercutio manages to get Romeo to go to the party at the Capulet's house, where he met Juliet. Romeo was against the idea of going to the party; however, in the end Mercutio manages to convince Romeo, and Romeo decides to go. It is because of Mercutio that Romeo goes to the party.
Secondly, Mercutio's death leads to the chain of events that finally lead to Romeos banishment. First, Tybalt kills Mercutio in a dual. Romeo is so angry by this that he kills Tybalt. As a result, the Prince of Verona decides to banishes Romeo rather than execute him. During Act 3 Scene 1, Mercutio is being his regular, quick-witted self. He is very sharp in his language, but perhaps too sharp. He deliberately annoys Tybalt, by doing things like mistaking the meaning of words. Like in Act 3 Scene 1, Tybalt begins speaking to Mercutio about the relationship between him and Romeo, and Mercutio takes the word 'consort' to mean a group of musicians, instead of meaning that he associates himself with Romeo:
“Consort? What, dost thou make us minstrels?”
Instances like this simply make the argument more and more aggressive, until Mercutio takes Tybalt's final blow, while Romeo is standing between them trying to stop the fight. This shows how Romeo tries to end the fighting between the Montagues and the Capulets, but how he cannot and that he only makes it worse.
Mercutio's death is a major event in this play. When Tybalt kills Mercutio, the comedy in the play is lost. From now on, this play becomes a Tragedy. This shows how Mercutio is a is such and important asset to the plot, and how the language and attitude he has can affect the play so greatly. Mercutio does not seem to change very dramatically in this play. The only slight change a reader may see is when he is about to die, he yells:
“A plague on both your houses!”
This may be regarded as a change because Mercutio has never been so serious before. He has never expressed any disagreement of the relationship between the Montagues and the Capulets. Now he seems to realise the damage the feud is capable of, but unfortunately, it was too late for him to do anything.
Mercutio's character is vital to the plot of this play. He represents independence, youth, and freedom, and makes the story line a lot more interesting.
