Romeo’s True Character
Foils in literature are characters that contrast another character, in most cases the protagonist, in order to highlight specific qualities of the other character. Additionally, they can be used to show the readers how things could have been different if the protagonist continued on another path. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare utilizes many foils for protagonist Romeo Montague, such as Paris, Mercutio, and Tybalt. Throughout the play, these characters accentuate and reveal Romeo’s true character and shows the audience how things could have gone differently for him, if only he made different choices.
Paris is a young nobleman related to the Prince and depicts the personalities the Capulets want …show more content…
This contrasts with how Romeo killed himself when he saw Juliet, supposedly, dead because the thought of living life without the person he loves is not really living. His reaction was greater than Paris’ showing how passionate and in love he is with Juliet whereas if Paris was in his position, he would have just moved on and he certainly would not have killed himself for Juliet. His lack of passion is more than likely why Juliet wants to marry Romeo instead and is willing to risk death so she would not have to marry Paris. Paris stayed a very conventional man till his death when he asked Romeo, “If thou be merciful,/Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.” (5.3.72-73) This moment is a turning point in Romeo’s character because the audience expects him to say no to any man’s request to lie beside his wife, yet he did the opposite and immediately promises to fulfill his request, showing his maturity and the development of his character. Regardless of the fact Paris and Romeo scarcely interacted throughout the play, Shakespeare subtly uses Paris to show the audience how things would be different if Romeo acts more like him. For instance, would Juliet like Romeo more if he had Paris’ …show more content…
He is a relative of the Prince and is a vulgar, witty, cynical yet loyal friend to Romeo. Also, unlike his friend, he is not romantic and mocks the idea of love, saying, “If love be rough with you, be rough with love;/Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.” (1.4.27-28). In the first line, he is basically saying that if love is making Romeo’s life difficult, he should just stop loving. The second line is a sexual joke displaying how he treats love as a joke and thinks of it as nothing more than sexual activity which contrasts Romeo’s idea of love. This can also be seen by his speech about Queen Mab, showing his cynical side. Mercutio is also very realistic and pessimistic, saying “I talk of dreams,/Which are the children of an idle brain,/Begot of nothing but vain fantasy,” which highlights how naive and delusional Romeo can be sometimes. His contrast with Romeo poses many questions about how the story would be much different if Romeo listened to Mercutio’s advice to stop
Foils in literature are characters that contrast another character, in most cases the protagonist, in order to highlight specific qualities of the other character. Additionally, they can be used to show the readers how things could have been different if the protagonist continued on another path. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare utilizes many foils for protagonist Romeo Montague, such as Paris, Mercutio, and Tybalt. Throughout the play, these characters accentuate and reveal Romeo’s true character and shows the audience how things could have gone differently for him, if only he made different choices.
Paris is a young nobleman related to the Prince and depicts the personalities the Capulets want …show more content…
This contrasts with how Romeo killed himself when he saw Juliet, supposedly, dead because the thought of living life without the person he loves is not really living. His reaction was greater than Paris’ showing how passionate and in love he is with Juliet whereas if Paris was in his position, he would have just moved on and he certainly would not have killed himself for Juliet. His lack of passion is more than likely why Juliet wants to marry Romeo instead and is willing to risk death so she would not have to marry Paris. Paris stayed a very conventional man till his death when he asked Romeo, “If thou be merciful,/Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.” (5.3.72-73) This moment is a turning point in Romeo’s character because the audience expects him to say no to any man’s request to lie beside his wife, yet he did the opposite and immediately promises to fulfill his request, showing his maturity and the development of his character. Regardless of the fact Paris and Romeo scarcely interacted throughout the play, Shakespeare subtly uses Paris to show the audience how things would be different if Romeo acts more like him. For instance, would Juliet like Romeo more if he had Paris’ …show more content…
He is a relative of the Prince and is a vulgar, witty, cynical yet loyal friend to Romeo. Also, unlike his friend, he is not romantic and mocks the idea of love, saying, “If love be rough with you, be rough with love;/Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.” (1.4.27-28). In the first line, he is basically saying that if love is making Romeo’s life difficult, he should just stop loving. The second line is a sexual joke displaying how he treats love as a joke and thinks of it as nothing more than sexual activity which contrasts Romeo’s idea of love. This can also be seen by his speech about Queen Mab, showing his cynical side. Mercutio is also very realistic and pessimistic, saying “I talk of dreams,/Which are the children of an idle brain,/Begot of nothing but vain fantasy,” which highlights how naive and delusional Romeo can be sometimes. His contrast with Romeo poses many questions about how the story would be much different if Romeo listened to Mercutio’s advice to stop