Mercutio as Catalyst in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet Essay

Mercutio as Catalyst in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, the clever character Mercutio â€Å"is an infamous scene-stealer† (Utterback 105). Mercutio’s significant capacity in the play is to be an impetus for the plot. Mercutio’s reason as a character is most essentially uncovered in his relationship with Romeo, his bedeviling of Tybalt, and his passing. All the more significantly, Mercutio works as the impetus for the example of fiascos in the play that follows his own heartbreaking demise, making him, as portrayed by pundit Stephen Greenblatt â€Å"a soul that appears to challenge the very chance of sentimental love or appalling destiny† (856). Mercutio’s job in the play is legitimately connected to his relationship with his â€Å"very friend,† Romeo (III.i.108). This bond and brotherhood of the men gives the premise to the disclosure of Mercutio’s character as a foil to Romeo. â€Å"These fundamental jobs for the two companions imply that, through the badinage, Mercutio is basically dynamic and Romeo receptive or passive† (Porter 103). For instance, Mercutio tells Romeo â€Å"Nay, delicate Romeo, we should have you dance† (I.iv.13). He energetically pushes Romeo to â€Å"borrow cupid’s wings/And take off with them over a typical bound† (I.iv.17-18) and exhorts his companion that â€Å"If love be harsh with you, be unpleasant with adoration. /Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down† (I.iv.27-28). These lines show Mercutio’s trademark requirement for direness and activity. â€Å"Romeo by differentiate typically answers that he can't conform to his friend ’s exhortationsâ€he won’t move, don’t ask himâ€and his most dire words, ‘Peace, harmony, Mercutio, peace’ (I.v.95), encourage not activity yet its cessation† (Porter 103).... ... Pennsylvania State University Press, 1965. Phillips, Brian. â€Å"Character Analysis.† SparkNote on Romeo and Juliet. 24 April 2003. http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeoandjuliet/canalysis.html. Doorman, Joseph A. Shakespeare’s Mercutio: His History and Drama. Church Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1988. Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Baz Luhrman. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, and John Leguizamo. twentieth Century Fox, 1997. Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, and Milo O’Shea. Foremost, 1968. Shakespeare, William. The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 1997. 865-939. Utterback, Raymond V. â€Å"The Death of Mercutio.† Shakespeare Quarterly. 24.2 (1973): 105-116.