In this quotation Mercutio describes Rosaline in a sexual way. He is very rude to and about women. Mercutio is only interested in how women look and not how they feel. This again suggests that Mercutio is only bothered to have sex and not feeling their emotions or reacting their to heart feelings.
This shows us that in Shakespeare’s time women weren’t given much value and were only considered in the matter of sex. Women weren’t appreciated and were treated very unpleasantly. Men only used women to have sex and to enjoy themselves. They didn’t believe in the actuality of love and marriage or equal partnership. Women weren’t given the power to speak against the men or to say their likes and dislikes. As we can see in Act 2 scene 1, when Mercutio describes Rosaline in a very sexual way. This also establishes the fact that in Shakespeare's time women were treated in sexual ways. Additionally this suggests that women weren’t given the full fairness and equality in that time.
Mercutio serves an important purpose for a modern day audience. He makes the audience think about the way women were treated in the past. Also it tells the audience that love isn’t an excellent feeling, beyond love is sex. Sex is everything for Mercutio; he believes that a man should have sex as many times as possible in his life. In the contemporary times the audience would laugh with him and give support to him and his ideas. However the modern audience would react to this completely different. They would be shocked and surprised at the character of Mercutio.
In the past times men were given the power and that’s would have thought that Mercutio was a normal character. All the men believed and had same opinions about love and sex. But the modern audience has totally uncommon considered opinions on love and sex. The modern audience thinks that he is being discourteous, disrespectful and very impolite.
In act 2 scene 4, Mercutio believes that Romeo has stayed out all night because of his love, his sickness for Rosaline. He doesn’t know that he is now in love with Juliet. Benvolio says that Tybalt has written a letter challenging Romeo to a duel.
When Benvolio tells Mercutio about the duel, Mercutio thinks that Romeo wouldn’t be so up for the fight. However Benvolio thinks that Romeo will be up for the challenge.
Mercutio says: “Alas poor Romeo he is already dead; stabbed with a white wench’s black eye; shot through the ear with a love-song;”
Here, Mercutio is suggesting that because Romeo is in love with Rosaline, he is very weak, fragile and feeble to be able to fight Tybalt. He thinks that Romeo’s love has made him weak and scrawny. He believes that love has killed Romeo; he is no longer the man he was before. He is stating that love makes a man weak, and changes him a lot. Here he again is going against love.
In line 21 Mercutio says these lines about Tybalt: “He fights as you sing prick-song, keeps time, distance, and proportion;”
Mercutio is stating that Tybalt is a precise fighter and a precise lover. He is trying to say that Tybalt is not spontaneous; he is not a brawler.
“The pox of such antic, lisping, affecting fantasticoes;”
Mercutio is questioning Tybalt’s sexuality, he is saying that he isn’t sure if he is gay or not.
When Romeo says:”A man may strain courtesy?”
Mercutio then replies to him by saying: “That’s as much as to say, such a case as yours constrains a man to bow in the hams.”
In this quotation, Mercutio is making bawdy jokes about sex and having sex. he is saying that Romeo has fun last night.
In line 63 Mercutio says:”Follow me this jest now, till thou has warn out thy pump, that when the single sole of it is worn, the jest may remain after the wearing sole singular.
Here, Mercutio is again making jokes about having sex, he is saying that you must have enjoyed having sex.
In line 80 Mercutio says: “Thy wit is a very bitter sweeting, it is a most sharp sauce.”
Here Mercutio is taking out the mickey of Romeo. He is saying that you are very quick witted.
“Now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo; now art thou what thou art.”
Romeo is back and is saying the things that he used to say about love. Mercutio is very pleased and delighted to hear that Romeo is back to his normal self.
Mercutio is insulting the nurse by saying: “To hide her face; for her fan’s the fairer face.”
Mercutio is very much being rude to the nurse and is saying that her vagina us better looking than her face. He is abusing the nurse and being very impolite.
Mercutio says: “The dial is now upon the prick of noon.”
He is making reference to a part of his body and again is being extremely rude.
In Act 3 scene 1, this is the last time we see and hear from Mercutio in this play. “I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire: the day is hot, the Capulet's abroad. And, if we meet, we shall not escape a brawl”
In this quotation Benvolio begs Mercutio to go home. Benvolio is worried, that if they meet the Capulet’s, there will definitely be a fight between them. Benvolio is scared that something will go wrong if Mercutio stays here and they Capulet’s arrive. Mercutio evades the question and accuses Benvolio of being hot tempered by saying: “Thou art like one of those fellows that when he enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword upon the table and says” god send me no need of thee!” and by the operation of the second cup draws it on the drawer, when indeed there is no need.”
In line 11 Mercutio once again blame that Benvolio is the one who has a burning temper. “Thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as any in Italy.”
This shows that instead of being quiet and accepting that he is the one who has the hottest temper; he accuses Benvolio of having the worst temper between them two.
In line 21 Mercutio yet again accuses Benvolio of having a bad temper.”Thou wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes: what eye but such an eye would spy out such a quarrel? Thy head is as fun of quarrels as an egg is full of meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as an egg for quarrelling: thou hast quarreled with a man for coughing in the streets.”
This once more suggests that Mercutio accuses Benvolio to be the one with a hot temper, instead of confessing that he himself consists of a boiling temper and mostly isn’t able to control himself in situations like fights.
When in this scene Tybalt arrives searching for Romeo, Mercutio says to Tybalt in line 40: “but one word with one of us? Couple it with something; make it a word and a blow.”
This suggests that Mercutio mocks Tybalt. He says: “just one word, why not make it a word or a blow. This shows that he challenges Tybalt to either have a man fight or oral sex. By saying the word “blow”, he gives Tybalt two options. He can either have a punch, meaning he can fight with him, or he can suck his…. In this scene Mercutio is being very rude to Tybalt and is accusing his sexuality. He trying to say that Tybalt hasn’t got the strength to fight with him and also that Tybalt is gay.
When Romeo arrives to the scene, Tybalt challenges Romeo for a fight; Romeo refuses, because he knows that Tybalt is now a part of his family. This is because before this scene Romeo and Juliet have married and as Tybalt is juliet’s cousin, therefore he and Tybalt are now related. As Mercutio hears that Romeo has denied the offer of the fight he announces: “o calm, dishonorable, vile submission!”
Mercutio is traumatized, appalled, devastated and is tremor to hear that Romeo, his brave and strong cousin won’t fight and Mercutio thinks that Romeo is a coward; he is a gutless sneak, who refused to fight. He thinks that Romeo is scared of Tybalt.
“Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher by the ears?”
After Mercutio thinks that Romeo has backed off because he is scared, he then challenges Tybalt to have a fight. He asks him that are you going to draw your sword quickly, or shall I stab you first?
This suggests that Mercutio really is keen to have a fight. Mercutio is the only and only character in the whole play that starts and brings all the actions. He is the only one who is brave enough to have an argument in this play.
Romeo is holding Mercutio and is stopping him from fighting; right at that time Tybalt attacks Mercutio and stabs him under Romeo’s arms. After Mercutio got stabbed he says: “I am hurt. A plague o’ both your houses! I am sped.”
Mercutio curses both houses, the Montague's and the Capulet's.
In Mercutio’s last few lines he states that: “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.”
In his last lines he sounds very serious. His character through out the whole play is a funny and a comic character, but towards the end of his character he gets quite serious. He knows that his death is knocking on his door. The adjective “grave” suggests his seriousness bursting out of him. Even though he is still being funny and trying to amuse the other characters; he is also trying to not let anyone realize that he has been stabbed and hurt badly. And that he is nearing his death.
Mercutio plays an important role in this play. Without him there would be no comedy, no action, no fights or deaths and also no one would be rude to anyone. His personality is the most worthy personality in the play. He had to be in this play, if he wouldn’t be in this play then this play wouldn’t be the exact as it is now.
Shakespeare has thought very much before creating him. He knew how the audience in that time would react to Mercutio’s character. He knew that without him this play wouldn’t be a tragedy. He is the only character who dies in this play. Without him there wouldn’t be anyone who makes joke, the audience in Shakespeare’s time wouldn’t want to see this play otherwise.
In Shakespeare’s time the audience would have laughed at what Mercutio says in the play, they thought that his character is like a normal, ordinary human being. They thought that men should be like him, Mercutio would be the ideal man.
However the modern audience wouldn’t think that he is funny at all. They would think that Mercutio is extremely rude and impolite in this play. That is because the views and opinions on love and sex have clearly changed from the past to now. Now people respect women and don’t criticizes them in any way. Especial they don’t describe women in sexual ways, and also think that women should be given much more respect than they were given in the past.
I personally would think that Mercutio is a humorous character, but only if I was living in Shakespeare’s time. Now I think that he is very rude about women and all he wants is sex all his life. He thinks that sex is the only aim of a man that every man has to achieve.
Without Mercutio this romantic love story of Romeo and Juliet wouldn’t end in this way and wouldn’t be called a tragedy.
By
Sonia Bhangu
