English Controlled Assessment
The character of Mercutio is central to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1597). Liminal, volatile and manipulative, he is presented through his language in the play and in Baz Luhrmann's adaptation "Romeo+Juliet"(1996), played by Harold Perrinea, through his costume, appearance and similarity through language. This essay will compare how these presentations are constructed, referring to both the play and the adaptation.
Mercutio, whose name derives from Mercury, messenger of Gods in Roman mythology, can be depicted as a liminal character in both the play and the film adaptation. Mercutio does not belong to the Montagues or the Capulets and lies in between the rival families. In the play, his liminality is evident in the scene of his death. Tybalt challenges Romeo to a fight, but doe to the pacifist nature of Romeo, he refuses to fight and Mercutio fights instead to prevent Romeo from getting injured, but ends up getting wounded by Tybalt. On the verge of his death, in Act 1 Scene 3, he curses the two families by repeating "a plague on both your houses!", which emphasises the hatred he now feels towards them. He is lying in between Romeo and Tybalt and was friends with both; he protected Romeo and had no mischief with Tybalt. Despite this, now they are worthless to him as he says "they have made worm's meat of me"; this powerful metaphor highlights that the arrogance, pride and egotism that the Montagues and Capulets felt towards each other brought him to his grave. Shakespeare's language reveals that Mercutio loves and hates Romeo and Tybalt, but at the same time, has no feelings towards them, which suggests Mercutio's liminality. Likewise in the film adaptation, Mercutio is presented as being liminal through his costume and appearance. When he is first introduced in the film, he is seen to have male and female characteristics. As he gets out of the car, he is wearing a silver skirt with a silver bra, a wig, red lipstic and heels, which can automatically create an impression that he is a transvestite, attributing female characteristics to Mercutio. On the other hand, he has male characteristics too, such as acting brotherly with Romeo, joking with him and pushing him in a friendly manner. This repeats the idea of Mercutio being liminal; he is shown as a male and a female but the same time is none of those - he inhabits a unique characterisation, making him stand out from the rest in the play.
