mercutio Flashcards
“you are a ___ , borrow ___ wings”
A1 S4
- says to Romeo that he is “a lover [and he should] borrow cupids wings”.
- Cupid was blind in Roman mythology - making the arrows of love he shoots seem random and ruled by chance which is a pessimistic view of something traditionally romantic
- “borrow” diminishes cupids power , as though anyone might “borrow” cupids wings - can deduce from mercutios language that he thinks is pessimistic about love
“When ____ lie on their backs [she] / ____ them & learns them first to ____”
A1 S4
- mercutio personifies love through the character of Queen man who he says ““When maids lie on their backs [she] /presses them & learns them first to bear”.
- speaks of love as a corrupting influence , slanders Queen man & turns her into a villain , doing so of love by extension
- sex was a very taboo topic during this period & this Queen man , who introduces “maids” to it is this villainous
- mercutio speaks of cynically labelling it to be superficial & corrupting which, given the plays ending, doesn’t seem all that inaccurate
- May be that Shakespeare uses mercutio as a mouthpiece , through which he could provide a criticism of love
“a ____ o both your ___”
A3 S1
a plague o both your houses
- infectious image of a “plague” shows how Mercutio is likening the feud to an infectious disease - it has metaphorically plagued both the families and has resulted in his tragic death
- his death also represents the consequences of family feuds , in that often innocent people are hurt by long lasting grudges - but it was his impulsivity that led , ultimately to his death & Shakespeare uses this quality to demonstrate the consequences of the folly of youth. - e,g R&J are hasty & that quality ultimate leads to their death
O C D V S
o calm dishonourable , vile submission
- tricolor here creates a lexicon of fragility which emphasises Romeo’s effeminate inability to fight , whilst exaggerating mercurios male aggressive behaviour
