Role of Mercutio

Scene IV
  1.   Role of Mercutio View of love – Queen mab speech
  * If love be rough with you, be rough with love; (I.iii.26)
      * Love is worth anything, it is useless
  * Queen Mab speech
      * “O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you.”
        * powerful statement
      * Written in iambic pentameter
      * Reflects Romeo’s lovesick whims
      * she comes in shape no bigger than an agate-stone
        * characteristic of fairy
      * Her wagon-spokes made of long spiders' legs, The cover of the wings of grasshoppers, The traces of the smallest spider's web, The collars of the moonshine's watery beams
        * Surrounded by animals and birds
        * Image of fairy
      * Lovers' brains, and then they dream of love;
        * He thinks that love is very just a dream; not realistic
      * O'er ladies ' lips, who straight on kisses dream,
        * Everything happens in dream
      * This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, That presses them and learns them first to bear, Making them women of good carriage
        * Doesn’t take love seriously, keeps making a humor out of love

  2. Significance of Romeo’s last speech
  * Some consequence yet hanging in the stars, Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
      * Fear about sneeking into the party of capulets
        * Thinks some problem might occur
      * Of a despised life closed in my breast, By some vile forfeit of untimely death.
        * Scared of death and fighting
  3. Shakespeare’s view on love
  * Is love a tender thing? it is too rough, Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn. (I.iii.25)
      * Love is shown to be rough, blind and immature