Known as a tragedy, but commonly mistaken as a romance, the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet entrances the readers with hatred and love, bloodshed and kisses, and poisons and remedies. William Shakespeare creates a story about two young lovers who are doomed from the beginning due to their fatal flaw- they are too impulsive. Although Romeo is often the character to make hasty decisions, one of his best friends can be found to do so too. He and Mercutio are foils for one another, their opposite traits push each other to do things they wouldn’t normally do and help to reveal both their positive and negative traits. In the beginning, the audience is given a glance of Romeo’s emotional side and his views on love. Meanwhile, when Mercutio appears
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This maturity is especially emphasized by Mercutio’s blatant opposition in which he is rash. During the turning point of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt becomes angry with Romeo and so he is looking for a fight. As both Benvolio and Mercutio are present in this scene, they try to defend their friend’s honor. However, since Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt- because they are now cousins from marriage- it angers Mercutio. Due to how he doesn’t know that Romeo is married to a Capulet, he intervenes in their brawl. Unnecessarily, he draws out his sword and says to Tybalt “Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out” (III.i.48). In this scene, Mercutio is taunting Tybalt to fight him. He almost seems to ask Tybalt innocently, as if he could back out if he wants to. Yet, Mercutio also forces him to make a decision quick- in which Tybalt, already looking for a fight, does so willingly. However, the fight between these two characters is rather pointless- they have no reason to fight each other (Mercutio is related to the prince, while Tybalt is a Capulet.) Because he thinks Romeo is a coward for not standing up for himself, he irrationally steps into a battle that he didn’t belong in. If Mercutio’s anger and impulsiveness didn’t get the best of him, Tybalt would never have thought to try to fight Romeo’s friends, and everything could sort out. However, this did not occur, which resulted in Mercutio’s death and the seeking of revenge on Tybalt for killing him. Although Romeo does in fact kill Tybalt, he had no interest in doing so until the death of his friend. Only moments before these two people’s deaths, Romeo was actually the reasonable one. During the brawl between Tybalt and Mercutio, he steps in-between them and yells “Tybalt, Mercutio! The Prince
This maturity is especially emphasized by Mercutio’s blatant opposition in which he is rash. During the turning point of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt becomes angry with Romeo and so he is looking for a fight. As both Benvolio and Mercutio are present in this scene, they try to defend their friend’s honor. However, since Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt- because they are now cousins from marriage- it angers Mercutio. Due to how he doesn’t know that Romeo is married to a Capulet, he intervenes in their brawl. Unnecessarily, he draws out his sword and says to Tybalt “Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out” (III.i.48). In this scene, Mercutio is taunting Tybalt to fight him. He almost seems to ask Tybalt innocently, as if he could back out if he wants to. Yet, Mercutio also forces him to make a decision quick- in which Tybalt, already looking for a fight, does so willingly. However, the fight between these two characters is rather pointless- they have no reason to fight each other (Mercutio is related to the prince, while Tybalt is a Capulet.) Because he thinks Romeo is a coward for not standing up for himself, he irrationally steps into a battle that he didn’t belong in. If Mercutio’s anger and impulsiveness didn’t get the best of him, Tybalt would never have thought to try to fight Romeo’s friends, and everything could sort out. However, this did not occur, which resulted in Mercutio’s death and the seeking of revenge on Tybalt for killing him. Although Romeo does in fact kill Tybalt, he had no interest in doing so until the death of his friend. Only moments before these two people’s deaths, Romeo was actually the reasonable one. During the brawl between Tybalt and Mercutio, he steps in-between them and yells “Tybalt, Mercutio! The Prince