Compare and contrast Romeo's conversation with Mercutio (Act1.4) with his soliloquy before Juliet appears in the balcony scene. How does the language used show the change in Romeo's character and in his attitude to love?

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Compare and contrast Romeo’s conversation with Mercutio (Act1.4) with his soliloquy before Juliet appears in the balcony scene. How does the language used show the change in Romeo’s character and in his attitude to love?

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies about love and passion between two young people. Romeo is considered by many to be the perfect romantic hero, however upon closer analysis he can be characterized as just a young man, transformed by love. This can be seen in Romeo’s initial interest in Rosaline, which is superficial and passive in comparison to the more complex and active relationship he develops with Juliet. The language used in Act 1, Scene 4 and the beginning of Act 2, Scene 2 shows this transformation clearly.

Act 1, Scene 4 begins on a Sunday evening outside Capulet’s house. Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio and about five or six other Maskers or Torch-bearers are about to make an appearance at the Capulet’s feast. Mercutio may be an invited guest as he has friends in the Capulet household, but Romeo and Benvolio, Montague kin, certainly are not. However, they have come prepared with masks and an introductory speech which will get them into the party. Romeo, unlike the lively Mercutio and Benvolio, is very melancholy at this time, not really in the right spirit to attend a feast. He is obsessed with Rosaline; a woman who will never love him. Romeo has been encouraged previously by Benvolio to forget his present love and consider other women however he has been determined to keep on loving and suffering. When Benvolio discovered that Rosaline would be at Capulet’s feast, he challenged Romeo to attend the feast in order to compare Rosaline with other beauties. Romeo agreed to this however he said he was not going to see ladies more beautiful than Rosaline, but to prove to himself that Rosaline was the most attractive woman in existence.

As the scene opens we hear Romeo, who I feel would have a copy of his speech in his hand saying, “What, shall this speech be spoke for our excuse? / Or shall we on without apology?” It was not unusual for masked intruders such as themselves to offer a prepared speech which explained their actions, complimented the host and flattered the guest. However, Benvolio argues that such speeches old fashioned and long-winded (“The date is out of such prolixity”).  He then mocks maskers who used to have one of their number dress up as Cupid to make a pretty speech about love. He states that they are not going to make excuses and the guests can take them as they find them. He closes by saying, “We’ll measure them a measure and be gone.” By this he means that they will dance for them and be gone.

Benvolio and Mercutio are ready to have an entertaining night at the Capulet’s feast, however Romeo and Benvolio are about to enter a territory where everything about them is cursed. Romeo is not in the mood for this and shows it by saying, “Give me a torch, I am not for this ambling; / Being but heavy, I will bear the light.” This phrase is an example of heavy and light imagery used in the play and I feel that these two words would be emphasised. Romeo is trying to convey that as a torch-bearer, he wouldn’t wear a mask or do any dancing. He is in a dark mood, ‘heavy,’ not light-footed, so he will only carry the light. For the rest of the scene Mercutio tries to talk Romeo into a better mood, but Romeo constantly resists, using word-play as his defence weapon.

Mercutio then insists that Romeo must dance, however Romeo replies, “You have dancing shoes / With nimble soles, I have a soul of lead / So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.” Here Romeo is making a pun on the word sole/soul. This is not meant to be humorous but it is merely a statement of his ‘heavy’ feelings. Mercutio subsequently points out that love and sadness do not have to go together, Romeo should, “borrow Cupid’s wings, / And soar with them above a common bound.” In reply to this, Romeo makes another pun on the word soar/sore to imply that he cannot borrow Cupid’s wings because he has been so badly wounded by Cupid’s arrow. He is too tied up in love to be able to leap up high as his heavy soul is holding him to the ground, (“Under love’s heavy burden do I sink.”)

With that attempt failing, Mercutio then tries again to lift Romeo’s spirits by using sexual innuendo to cheer him up. It also adds humour to the speech as the audience always enjoy any language related to sex. Romeo has just said that he is sinking under the burden of love, so Mercutio replies that Romeo would “sink in it should you burden love / Too great oppression for a tender thing.” This means that if Romeo cannot rise to the occasion, he will be a burden to the one he loves, but it is also implying that if Romeo gets what he wants (sex) he will sink into the woman and be a burden to her. Romeo is not convinced by this and he says that love is not a “tender thing” at all, but rough and “pricks like a thorn”. Here, Romeo is talking about the sexual side of love and Mercutio carries this on by making a pun on the word ‘prick’. He says, “Prick love for prickling, and you beat love down.” In Mercutio’s view, love-sickness is caused by lack of sex; if he would stimulate his love into action (by having sex), he would get over thinking that he needs to be in love.

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Now that Mercutio has passed his judgement on Romeo’s state of mind, he is ready to lead the way into the Capulet’s feast. At this point Mercutio would put on his mask as he makes a comment about how he has an ugly mask for an ugly face. He does not care however, what people say about it, (“what care I.”) Benvolio is also eager to enter the feast and instructs everyone to begin dancing as soon as they are through the door, (“and no sooner in, / But every man betake him to his legs.”) Romeo, however, is not ...

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