The audience know that Mercutio is neither a Montague nor a Capulet. His name is based on Mercurial which means changing moods quickly and dramatically. For example Mercutio starts his queen Mab speech in a happy and cheerful mood trying to cheer Romeo up but by the end of the speech he loses his temper and Romeo has to calm him down. Romeo is his best friend and enjoys word play. The audience also know that Mercutio is filling very irritable the morning after the party because Romeo went off probably according to Mercutio with Rosaline and hasn’t been seen since. Shakespeare has Mercutio le this to make the play dramatic.
The audience know that Tybalt is a very aggressive person, they know this because of his reaction at the Capulet party, he thinks highly of himself, doesn’t like to feel humiliated e.g. in the Capulet party, and they also know that Tybalt is a Vengeful person. He wants to heart Romeo although he hasn’t done anything to offend him. Moreover, Romeo doesn’t know about this.
Mercutio’s opinion towards Tybalt is he is an excellent swords man. He “keeps his distance and proportion “, very precise and accurate in his movement”, “the very butcher of a silk button”. This means he is so accurate in his movement that he can cut a button from a shirt. Mercutio also thinks Tybalt is a poser (a show off) in the way he fights,” he fights as you sing pick songs”. The way he dresses”these fashion mongers”, the way he speaks “these new tunes of accents”
Act 3 scene 1 is set in a hot day where people are feeling irritable and drinking a lot of water. This is a sympathetic background. Shakespeare shows it’s hot by making Benvolio say it “the day is hot, the Capulet are abroad”. Young men are fighting because they want to defend their reputation. The audience are expecting Mercutio to start up a fight because he thinks Tybalt is showing off too much and tries to confront Romeo to fight him. Shakespeare also sets the play in a public place. Benvolio is desperate to leave but Mercutio still wants to fight.
Mercutio and Benvolio are building up tension by word playing e.g. Mercutio twisting what Benvolio says “Nay and there were two such, we should have shortly, for one would kill another”. The joke is if Benvolio were two people they would end up killing each other. Mercutio starts a ridiculous argument with Benvolio about a man having one more hair in is beard than other. It is ridiculous to call Benvolio a trouble maker because his name means good willing. Shakespeare is being ironic because it’s Mercutio who is the trouble maker. Shakespeare is also trying to say young men have silly arguments over silly things.
Mercutio shows he is irritated by Benvolio waiting for him to leave. He sows this by telling him “by my heel I care not”. Benvolio is anxious to go because that Capulets will be arriving at any moment. After a while the Capulets arrive. Mercutio is irritated by Tybalts approach towards him with his men. As he approaches Tybalt he tells his men “follow me close for I will talk to them” This is irritating because Tybalt is swaggering arrogantly as if he is the man. Tybalt also irritates Mercutio by greeting him politely instead of being arrogant. Tybalt asks for a word with one of them, he tells him to have a word with a blow.
Mercutio continues to provoke Tybalt by twisting the meaning of “occasion” by telling him “could you not take some occasion without giving” meaning, can’t you make a reason for fighting without me giving you one. Again Mercutio is irritated by the very formal way in which Mercutio is speaking.
Once again Mercutio tries to provoke Tybalt into a fight by twisting more of his words e.g. “consort?” this means to hang around with a group of musicians. Being a musician in those days was like those people who live in the streets and would often beg for money. Therefore it would be an insult to call a gentleman a musician. He also says “fiddlestick” meaning sword and “zounds” which is a swear word.
Already being in an argument with Tybalt, Mercutio is hoping Romeos arrival will lead to a bit of more fun. Romeo enters with a happy mood just to find Tybalt and Mercutio arguing after him marriage. Shakespeare does this to create a contrast in moods. At this point love comes face to face with hatred, this is because Tybalt is related to Juliet as a cousin and Romeo loves Juliet. The audience know Tybalt wanted to fight Romeo but he doesn’t know this. At this point the audience might be filling a bit anxious for him because he doesn’t know what going on.
When Romeo first appears Tybalt says “here comes my man” meaning the man who he is after. Tybalt tries to provoke Romeo into a fight by insulting him and calling him a “villain” which is a big insult. Tybalt is making it clear that he is challenging by calling Romeo a “boy” which is also an insult. Romeo replies by saying he has a reason of love. This has an effect upon the audients because he has just married and he wants to avoid a fight but characters on stage think he is a coward and desperate to avoid it. Romeo appears to be speaking in riddles when he is says love has a reason rather than hatred. Tybalt may think he is taking the micky and the only people who know what he means are the audience. Shakespeare has him doing this because it shows Romeo doesn’t understand how serious the situation is.
Mercutio deliberately intervenes because he wants to sow he is not a coward like Romeo. He insults Tybalt; he says “Alla stoccaa”. This is a sword fighting phrase. He says this to suggest that Tybalt is showing off and needs to be sorted out. He also calls him a “rat-catcher”. In those days rat-catching would be considered a dirty job and would likely to catch a plague which is an incurable disease.
After the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt, Mercutio is fatally wounded with a cut from Tybalts rapier sword as when Romeo tries to stop the fight he blocks Mercutio. Mercutio is playing with words by saying tomorrow he will be dead but also playing in his grave, meaning serious.” Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a dead man”. “No, it is not as deep as a well or as wide as a church door”. Mercutio says to show the wound is not big but enough to kill him. Not deep as a well but enough to let a coffin through the church.
Shakespeare has Mercutio making jokes while he is dying to show he does not want to appear a coward and o make the audience confused and to show young men laugh for things which are serious. Characters on stage would be probably laughing at Mercutio’s jokes. When they realise e is fatally wounded the characters ad the audience will be shocked. Their will also be a contrast of moods on weather to feel sorry for him or weather to laugh at his jokes.
Mercutio calls Tybalt “zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat, to scratch a man to death! A braggart, a rogue, a villain, that fights by the book of arithmetic”. Mercutio says this to show Tybalt is a boaster and his name is based on prince of cats.
Mercutio is upset because e thinks he is the best fighter and has been beaten by a boaster. Shakespeare has Mercutio because he is concerned more about his reputation rather than his wound. Mercutio says a dramatic curse upon the houses of Montages ad Capulet. This is very dramatic because Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet and a plague is a very nasty and a real threat to life in those times. Shakespeare audience believe in the power of curses. He says it three times which is a magic number making the curse more powerful.
Romeo says his love for Juliet has made him effeminate (somebody who is week) “o sweet Juliet, thy beauty hath made me effeminate, and my temper softened valour’s steel”. Shakespeare has Romeo say this because young men don’t want to show they are softened because of love. Benvolio returns saying “O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio is dead. That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds which too untimely here did scorn the earth” Every body thinks Mercutio is brave is brave, this affects Romeo because every body thinks he is a coward. Shakespeare is also trying to ask what is brave about picking a fight.
Shakespeare has Tybalt return on stage to brag about he killed Mercutio; he also brings him on stage so it can all work out again. Romeo says “fire-eyed fury”.
Shakespeare has him saying the language of hate to sock the audience and to show the vengeful side is Romeo as he carries on the “ancient grudge”. Romeo Fights Tybalt and overcomes him because of anger.
After Romeo kills Tyalt he says “o I am fortunes fool”. He is trying t blame fate. In the first place Romeo didn’t have to go after him because the prince already warned him about fighting. Shakespeare is trying to suggest that we are responsible for our own fate and it is Mercutio’s fault he provoked Tybalt into a fight and therefore acting in an irresponsible manner.
This is the turning point of the play; things will never be the same again. Romeo has changed and he is capable of violence again. There is very little humour left. Act four mostly focuses on Juliet as she has to cope with some real problem and there is nobody else to help her.
