Mercutio

Question 1

What does the death or Mercutio signify?

Answer 1

A mood shift towards a darker tone to the play. The comedy dies with him.

Question 2

3.3: Comedy dying with Mercutio emphasised

Answer 2

“Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man”

Question 3

3.3: Mercutio realises the war between the houses is stupid

Answer 3

“A plague o’ both your houses”

This would have had extra impact, as during the Elizabethan era, everyone would have known someone who had died from the plague.

Question 4

3.3: Comedy, playing on Tybalt’s title, wishing death upon Romeo, foreshadowing

Answer 4

“‘Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat to scratch a man to death!”

Tybalt called himself the “prince of cats”, therefore by saying “a cat to scratch a man to death”, he could be wishing that Tybalt kills Romeo, or just stating he has been killed by Tybalt.

Question 5

2.4: Mercutio as the source of comedy in the play

Answer 5

“Good, Peter, to hide her face, for her fan’s the fairer face”

Schadenfreude

Question 6

Mercutio as a troublemaker

Answer 6

“Couple it with something. Make it a word and a blow.”

Question 7

1.4: Romeo and Juliet’s love is just lust, reciprocated

Answer 7

“As thin of substance as air”

Question 8

1.4: Romeo and Juliet are trapped in love

Answer 8

“Traces of the smallest spider web”