Mercutio

• Romeo's friend
• dialogue - sexual context (twist Romeo's word into sexual puns) and humorous
• view of masculinity - aggression and overt sexualisation
• first meet - A1, S4
• 'If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking and you beat love down


  'Prick' - another word for male genitals (slang)

  sexualises love - isn't a romantic
• Foil to Romeo (contrasts to Romeo) usually the protagonist contrasts the hero to highlight qualities of the other hero - in this case Mercutio is used to show how romantic Romeo is compared to other men
• the 'Queen Mab' story - 


  starts- child-like, fairy tale ->innocent

  as it unfolds - images get more sinister - 'lovers', 'brains' to 'cutting foreign throats', 'maids' taught how to reproduce

  -- this all symbolises the chaos - shift from playful to sinister imagery emphasises Mercutio's character - the speech warns us, Mercutio is not just comic relief he is trouble
• A3,S1 - Shakespeare uses blank verse, prose and thyme verse to convey meaning

  Prose - Mercutio replying to Benvolio (Blank verse) - comic moment and arguing with Tybalt - uncontrolled like Mercutio
• Romeo; ' gentlemen, the Prince's near ally, My friend' - tricolon - held high esteem for Mercutio
• Dies in A3 (nurse goes out in A4) - two comic characters disappear - time for joking is gone - tragedy
• 'A plague o both your houses'
• 'Prick love for pricking'