Romeo And Juliet - Mercutio
At the time Mercutio makes his famous "Queen Mab" speech in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, he and Romeo, together with a group of their friends and kinsmen, are on the way to a party given by their family's arch-enemy, Lord Capulet. Their plan is to crash the party so that Romeo may have the opportunity to see his current love, Rosaline, whom they know has been invited to the Capulet's masque that evening.
Romeo, whom his friends seem to consider generally very witty and fun, originally thought the party-crashing would be a wonderful idea, but suddenly is overcome by a sense of great foreboding; although they "mean well in going to this mask . . . 'tis no wit to go" (I, iv, 48-49). This ...
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This suddenly launches Mercutio into a speech that alters the entire pace of the scene. Up to now, the conversation has been typical of a group of people walking through the streets-short phrases, a generally relaxed mood. With Mercutio's words, "O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you!" he plunges into a forty-two line speech which is actually composed of only two sentences, giving him barely enough breath to pause between phrases. The gist of the speech concerns Mab, whom Celtic mythology considered to be the midwife of the fairies, and who also is held to be responsible for human beings' dreams.
The Queen Mab speech is totally fanciful, describing, as if to a child, this tiny little creature who flies through the air in a small carriage, driven by a "wagoner" who is a gnat. On the surface this seems like it should be charming, but when one boils it down, it isn't charming at all. For example, Queen Mab's "cover" of her carriage is made of grasshopper wings, which implies ...
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little creature now.
In a sense, this is how the play goes, as well. Romeo begins by having a harmless crush; at the point in the story when Mercutio gives his speech, Romeo's infatuation with Rosaline is about to lead him to the home of yet another girl, Juliet, with whom he will fall madly in love. This love affair, however, is doomed in every respect. It is doomed not only because the Montagues and Capulets are sworn enemies; it is doomed also because Romeo and Juliet are too young to handle such a violent passion as their love turns out to be.
It is not accidental that Shakespeare begins this play by describing the feud which has separated Verona in two, and the first scene ...
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Romeo And Juliet - Mercutio. (2007, July 4). Retrieved April 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Romeo-And-Juliet-Mercutio/67479
"Romeo And Juliet - Mercutio." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 4 Jul. 2007. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Romeo-And-Juliet-Mercutio/67479>
"Romeo And Juliet - Mercutio." Essayworld.com. July 4, 2007. Accessed April 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Romeo-And-Juliet-Mercutio/67479.
"Romeo And Juliet - Mercutio." Essayworld.com. July 4, 2007. Accessed April 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Romeo-And-Juliet-Mercutio/67479.
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