Mercutio Character Analysis

We all have a friend that sometimes lacks the knowledge of the right time to stop, and therefore does not always realize the consequences of their actions. We love them, but their personality can bring us into situations we very much dislike. These friendships can be considered toxic for those who do not know how to deal with them, like Romeo. Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio, was definitely one of these people. Mercutio did not intend to hurt Romeo with his actions and character traits, but they led to Romeo meeting Juliet and to Romeo killing Tybalt, and hence being banished. The negative characteristics demonstrated by Mercutio throughout the play, including arrogance, hot-headedness, pride, and how they led him to push Romeo into doing things he didn’t want to do were largely responsible for the deaths of Romeo, and then later Juliet. Let’s start at the beginning. In one of the very first …show more content…
Mercutio also makes fun of Romeo’s loving nature. When Romeo talks about how love has been rough with him. In response, Mercutio says, “If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking and you beat love down” (1.4.27-28). This shows how Mercutio has little sympathy to the end of Romeo’s relationship with Rosaline. He seems to only want Romeo to get over it. Mercutio sees love as a purely physical force, while Romeo believes it is something stronger.
Romeo is a lover, not a fighter, and when Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, Mercutio doesn’t understand why, and he says this, “ calm, dishonorable, vile submission” (3.1.72). Romeo and Mercutio clearly have different values, which leads them into many points of conflict, as stated before. Mercutio is always ready to fight, especially to defend himself or those he is close with, like Romeo and the other Montagues. This is demonstrated in Act 3, Scene 1, when Mercutio's argument with Tybalt over who is better ends in the tragic death of