Mercutio

Question 1

What witty name does Mercutio call Tybalt?
A. The Prince
B. Queen Mab
C. King of Cats

Answer 1

A. Mercutio calls Tybalt the “King of Cats”, because there was a cat called Tibalt in a popular story at the time.

Question 2

Name one character that Mercutio is related to.

Answer 2

Mercutio is related to the Prince, who refers to Mercutio as one of his “kinsmen”. This also means that he is in some way related to Paris, who is another of the Prince’s relatives.

Question 3

Give one example of a pun that Mercutio makes.

Answer 3

In Act 3, Scene 1, Tybalt says “here comes my man”, meaning that he has seen the man he’s looking for (Romeo). Mercutio makes a pun on the word “man”, which can also mean ‘servant’, saying that Romeo wouldn’t wear the “livery” (uniform) of a Capulet servant.

Question 4

Explain what Mercutio thinks about Romeo’s attitude towards love. Give examples in your answer.

Answer 4

Mercutio thinks that Romeo’s attitude towards love is ridiculous. He mocks Romeo when he asks him to “pronounce but ‘love’ and ‘dove’”. The words “love” and “dove” are clichéd rhymes, often used in love poetry — Mercutio is suggesting that Romeo is clichéd example of an overly dramatic lover.

Question 5

Think of an example where Mercutio speaks in prose. What effect does the use of prose have in the example you chose?

Answer 5

“Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as any in Italy, and as soon moved to be moody, and as soon moody to be moved.” Here, Mercutio’s prose makes him sound informal, reflecting the fact that he is teasing a friend. In other parts of the play, Mercutio speaks in prose when he is telling jokes or to show intense emotion.