Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet': Mercutio
So far in Romeo and Juliet, I have found that the most interesting character is Mercutio. Although he just was murdered in Act 3 scene 1, he is still, in my opinion, probably the most interesting character. I think this because all the other characters are quite complex, as all people are, but Mercutio was the hardest for me to ever understand. I noticed that one moment he was acting like 'the life of the party' and the next the complete opposite an in the book, the reader would see a dark, kind of twisted side to him. Those two traits obviously don't go together, and it's hard to get inside what Mercutio is thinking compared to all of the other characters. In addition to that, Mercutio is a very interesting character because although he is clearly on the Montague side, it seems as though at the end, as he is dying, he is simply caught in the middle, which so far i have not seen in any other character. Both of these things about Mercutio make him slightly different from all the other characters, which is why I find him interesting.One reason that i believe Mercutio is the most interesting character in Romeo and Juliet, is because of his complex moods and feelings. I noticed that one one page, he would be the most lively and fun, yet on the next he would be acting very disturbingly and saying kind of creepy things. In Act 1 scene 4, Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio are about to crash Capulets party. Romeo is upset by Rosaline and tells them that he does not want to dance. Mercutio tells Romeo, "We must have you dance,' and is encouraging him. He's acting energetic and excited to enter the party, and is encouraging his friends to be lively and for Romeo not to be sad. Two pages later he breaks into a monologue that is over a page long, referred to as 'The Queen Mab.' He begins to speak about The Queen Mab who he calls the "fairies midwife" and goes on to describe her using lines that use pretty dark imagery. He says things like 'Her whip of crickets bone, the lash of film' and while describing her chariot says it's 'made by the joiner squirrel or old grub.' Everything he says comes out as random nonsense. His monologue alone was confusing and strange, yet what made me think the most about Mercutio was that just a few lines before, he had been acting not just normal and happy. These types of mood swings Mercutio has are one reason why I find him the most interesting character.
Also, another reason why I think that Mercutio is the most interesting character is that although he is on the Montagues side, while he is dying he appears to be completely caught in the middle of the conflict. No other character is really put in that position. His last words are "Help me into some house, Benvolio,
Or I shall faint. A plague o' both your houses! They have made worms' meat of me. I have it, And soundly too. Your houses!" He yells at Romeo 'A plague on both your houses' showing that at this point he is dying with anger, not just towards Tybalt, but also to Romeo, for pushing forward the hatred between the families that got him killed.
In conclusion, i believe that Mercutio is the most interesting character in the play Romeo and Juliet, because he seems to both have a fun lively side, but there is also a dark side to Mercutio. In addition, hile he is dying he appears to be in the middle of the Capulet and Montague fight, rather than on a side, which shows a drastic change in his mindset.
