Why is Mercutio so important in Romeo and Juliet?

In Romeo and Juliet each character has a specific role. Mercutio’s role is the most important. He is the kinsman to the prince and Romeo’s closest friend and confidante, and in this role he can be very inluential to Romeo and can influence the decisions made and the directions the play takes.

What does Mercutio name mean in Romeo and Juliet?

The Significance of Mercutio in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The name Mercutio is derived for the word mercurial which means eloquent, active and changeable; Mercutio is all three because through out the play he changes his mood from a light-hearted joking to fiery insults in a short time.

How does Mercutio influence Romeo and Juliet?

Mercutio’s actions cause the death of Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. He indirectly causes Romeo and Juliet to meet, and he has an indirect cause in both Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. Another way Mercutio affected Romeo and Juliet’s lives was his death. Mercutio was killed while having a playful duel with Tybalt.

What is Mercutio’s personality?

Mercutio is Romeo’s best friend. Mercutio likes to have a good laugh, is optimistic, loyal and a good friend. When Romeo is depressed because of his unrequited love for Rosaline, it is Mercutio that suggests they should all gate-crash the Capulet party.

What was important to Mercutio?

Mercutio is a close friend of Romeo’s but has a very different personality. While Romeo loves and dreams and broods, Mercutio talks and jokes. He is also important as he serves as a foil to Romeo, that is to say he helps to highlight Romeo’s character through the contrast to his own.

How did Mercutio kill Romeo and Juliet?

After Romeo receives a death threat from Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, Mercutio expects Romeo to engage Tybalt in a duel. However, Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, because Romeo now considers Tybalt to be kin due to his secret marriage to Juliet. He fails, however, as Mercutio gets stabbed under Romeo’s arm and dies.

Does Mercutio love Romeo?

Mercutio was a loyal best friend to the death. He was witty, funny, hotheaded, and perhaps even a bit crude. Romeo was a romantic, while Mercutio did not believe in the idea of true love. It was his loyalty that killed him in the end.

Who is Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet play?

Romeo and Juliet Playwright William Shakespeare. Although Mercutio is just a secondary character, appearing in only four scenes, his character is known for stealing the show. Audiences cannot get enough of the funny and oftentimes even dirty Prince’s kinsman.

Why does Mercutio think Tybalt is a fool?

Mercutio thinks Tybalt is a fool and ridicules him when he arrives to duel Romeo. Of course, Romeo can’t fight the man who is now his secret cousin by marriage, which makes the quick-tempered Tybalt very angry. Mercutio also does not know about Romeo’s marriage to Juliet, so he is confused when Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt.

Why did Romeo challenge Mercutio to a duel?

Mercutio’s Death. Later on in the play, Tybalt, who is Juliet’s cousin, challenges Romeo to a duel to the death. What Tybalt doesn’t know is that it’s already too late to stop his cousin from marrying the enemy Romeo, because they already married in secret.

Who is the skeptic foil in Romeo and Juliet?

Mercutio as the Skeptic Foil. Mercutio’s character serves as a foil in Romeo and Juliet. A foil is a character who juxtaposes another character so audiences can clearly see certain qualities of the other character. This is usually done to help define the protagonist, or lead character, of the story.