Mercutio's Speech In Romeo And Juliet

In the fourth scene of the first act in Shakespeare’s famed tragedy Romeo and Juliet, character Mercutio gives a farcical speech in effort to cheer up his friend, Romeo. This speech may seem irrelevant to the plot, for it does nothing to move it forward, nor does it reveal any crucial information about a character, but when analyzed, the speech can be taken as another perspective on the tragic tale of the two star-crossed lovers. In the story, Mercutio and Benvolio decide to take their heart-broken friend to a feast hosted by their enemy. On the way, Romeo explains that he is far too sad to dance. He says, “I am too sore enpierced with his shaft to soar with his light feathers, and so bound” (1.4.19-20). Mercutio laughs at his foolish friend and begins to tease him. Refusing to take part in the banter, Romeo continues to pout. He says that he had a dream that told him it would be a bad idea to come. Mercutio again jests at his friend, saying he had been visited by Queen Mab. In the early parts of the speech, Queen Mab is a pleasant fairy, who travels in “empty hazel nut shell” with “spider’s legs” for spoke wheels (1.4.72, 64). She brings dreams of love to a lover. The imagery Shakespeare uses is pleasant, as though the tale was intended for a child’s ear. However, as the speech goes on, the imagery grows darker and innuendo comes into play. …show more content…
Though dark, it holds truth. Even the simplest of longings are but dreams, and dreams are nothing more than distant fantasies. With his words, Mercutio shows us the way he sees the world. His beliefs are of a different brand than the ones that drive Romeo’s love or Tybalt’s hate. Mercutio does not accept the social norm that the long-standing feud between Capulet and Montague has created. In fact, he pokes holes in all of it. Every belief of every character in this famed tragedy is nothing more than the product of a quiet mind in his