It has been claimed that Shakespeare had to ‘kill off’ Mercutio before he tookover the play of Romeo and Juliet - To what extent do you agree with this statement?

    Mercutio is almost always talking about sex, changing some of the most innocent things into sexual references. Sometime his rude sense of humour doe not score him point with his friends or the people around him but other time it is appreciated as he brings light and laugher to somewhat depressing conversations. Mercutio uses a lot of puns and paradoxes in his speaking but that occurs in most of the characters in Shakespear, he is lively and is not afraid to speak his mind. When they meet the maid he openly calls her a hoar and ugly. When she asks for her fan he says: “Good Peter, to hide her face, for her fan’s the fairer face.” Even when he is dieing Mercutio stays witty and it’s not until to late that we realise he is really dieing. He jokes about it saying, “ Ask for me to-morrow and you shall find me a grave man” and “ They have made worms’ meat of me.” Using puns to cover up the seriousness of his situation.

   Although Mercutio is rude sometimes he has what most of the other characters have not, he has a good sense of humour mixed with fun loving characteristics but at the same time could be caring. He could make you see sense and opened your eyes. He spoke his mind and was fun to be round and listen to which is why the audience would have loved him. For that reason many people put down the ‘killing off’ of Mercutio to the fact that he might have taken over the play but at the same time no matter how fun he was the love affair between two lovers that can never be together would have been much more interesting to me. This is why I believe that Mercutio did not die to stop him taking over the play but died to prove a point. Mercutio is killed standing up for his beloved friend Romeo and when he gets stabbed although he does not seem that hurt, he knows he is dieing and uses his last words to put a curse on the Capulets and Montagues. “ A plague o’ both your houses!” I think this part was added because in those days they were very superstitious and believed in curses and bad luck. With putting the curse on the families he dooms them to pay with something or someone that they both love, Romeo and Juliet. If Mercutio had not been killed that would not have been said and maybe Romeo and Juliet may not have died. I think that he died to show everyone that the fighting between the two families had gone on long enough and if he couldn’t teach them from earth he would teach them from the grave. If Mercutio did not die the jokes and laugher would have lived on but it would have only prevented the characters from seeing the seriousness of their situations and the consciences of their actions.