Mercutio

• 'If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down' - Mercutio


  Mercutio is romeos foil as their views on love oppose. Romeo is a romantic and focuses on the emotional aspects of love, whilst mercutio focuses on physical and sexual aspects of love. 'Be rough with love' is ironic as romeo has infact been harmed by love (Rosaline) (effeminate)
• 'A plague o'both your houses. They have made worms meat of me' -Mercutio


  When fatally injured, Mercutio becomes cynical . He points out the feud is pointless and that is what has caused his death. Romeo and Benvolio speak of his 'soul' and 'gallant spirit' while he uses physical and unromantic terms; he will be 'worms meat'. This is the first time violence is not just a threat, from this point on violence will be brutal.
• 'True I talk of dreams which are the children of an idle brain, begot of nothing but vain fantasy' - Mercutio


  His 'Queen Mab' speech introduces us to an important side of his character. He is a cynical realist who finds dreams and fantasies ridiculous. Throughout the play, Mercutio makes fun of Romeo's fantasy of perfect romantic love, which invites the audience to question the seriousness and maturity of Romeo's feelings for Juliet.