Act 1 Scene 4

Question 1

‘Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance.’

Answer 1

Despite Romeo’s admission of his melancholy as a result of his unrequited love for Rosaline, Mercutio does not appear able to fully sympathise with his friend. This may be due to his inability to understand the nature of love.
• Alternatively, Mercutio’s suggestion that Romeo must move forwards could initially be considered as an attempt to distract Romeo from his melancholy.

Question 2

‘You are a lover; borrow Cupid’s wings/And soar with them above a common bound.’

Answer 2

• Despite Romeo’s protestations, Mercutio chooses to ignore his friend’s despair by trivialising his circumstances.
• He believes that the experience of love is fleeting as suggested by his advice to simply ‘borrow Cupid’s wings’ - a classical reference to the god of love.
• He believes that Romeo’s response is somewhat melodramatic possibly due to his lack of experience in love.

Question 3

‘If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.’

Answer 3

• Mercutio’s approach to love appears to be aggressive as demonstrated by the repeated use of ‘rough’. He believes that Romeo’s poor experience of love gives him permission to act poorly in return which serves to highlight Mercutio’s lack of emotional intelligence to a contemporary audience.
• Sex and love are seen as interchangeable to Mercutio and so he uses sexual innuendo to allude to physical intimacy.