Mercutio

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Performer of the Mercutio over the centuries: The English actor Henry Woodward in 1753 ...

Mercutio is a fictional character in the famous tragedy " Romeo and Juliet " (written 1594–1597) by the English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616). In the play, Mercutio is a relative of the Prince of Verona, Escalus, and a best friend of Romeo Montague. Although he only has four appearances in the drama, he is the central figure of the tragedy alongside the main characters Romeo and Juliet and also one of the most famous characters in Shakespeare.

Mercutio's name

The name Mercutio is derived from the English word "mercurial", which means, among other things, "lively" or "moody" and thus gives an indication of Mercutio's character. His name refers to the Roman god Mercurius , god of merchants, who gave his name to the fast moving planet Mercury and also to the metal mercury , which is liquid at room temperature .

... and the Hungarian actor Halmi Ferenc around 1870.

Mercutio's character

Romeo characterizes Mercutio as follows: “ Someone who likes to hear himself talk (...) and who speaks more in a minute than he can answer for in a month. “(2nd act, 4th scene, based on the translation by August Wilhelm von Schlegel from 1843/44, which is also used below.) Mercutio has a loose mouth and uses it a lot - for example with Julia's wet nurse. She calls him “ (...) an outrageous fellow who had nothing but rascals in his head ” and confesses: “ Well , God knows, I was so angry that I was trembling all over. Such a rascal! ". (2nd act, 4th scene)

Mercutio is daring, cheeky and lively and notorious for his rough humor. Even shortly before death, he doesn't lose his sarcasm . When Romeo asked whether his wound was big, the fatally injured man replied: “ No, not as deep as a well, nor as wide as a church door; but it's enough. Ask for me tomorrow and you will find a quiet man in me. For this world, believe me, my fun is too salty. "(3rd act, 1st scene)

Mercutio's meaning

The character of Mercutio has a central role in Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet”, although he only appears four times. In the first part of the play he gives the audience important background information about Romeo and the warring families Montague and Capulet. He predicts the worsening tragedy early on and at the same time drives the action forward. And finally, Mercutio's death marks the turning point of the play, because here the drama , which at first appears like a comedy , finally changes to tragedy . Romeo loses his best friend, takes bloody revenge on Tybalt and becomes an outlaw. The forbidden love of Romeo and Juliet finally becomes hopeless - the tragic end of the two main characters is almost inevitable.

Mercutio's appearances

Shakespeare has become his drama through the more than thirty years ago, first published in 1562 narrative poem "The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet" by the English poet Arthur Brooke be stimulated, which in turn goes back to earlier French and Italian seals. In Brooke's version, Mercutio doesn't play a special role because he's just one of the guests at the Capulets' masked ball. Shakespeare, on the other hand, makes Mercutio a central figure in his tragedy.

Mercutio made his first appearance in Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet” towards the end of the first act with Romeo and other friends on a street. (1st act, 4th scene) Mercutio mocks Romeo, who is lovesick because of a Rosalind (he only gets to know Juliet later): “ You are a lover: borrow Cupid's wings and float freely in unfamiliar heights. (...) And did you want to sink into love? You are too heavy for such a delicate thing. “(1st act, 4th scene) This is followed by a monologue by Mercutio about Ms. Mab, who brings people's dreams. Then the friends go to the Capulets' masked ball, where Romeo wants to see Rosalind again - and meets Juliet for the first time.

At the beginning of the second act, Mercutio makes his second appearance . Together with a friend he looks for Romeo and calls for him. But the latter does not answer and the friends suspect that Romeo does not want to be found out of lovesickness. Mercutio is annoyed about this: “ If love is blind, then of course it aims badly. Now he is sitting leaning against a tree and wishing his love were the ripe fruit and fell into his lap. Yes, good night, friend Romeo! I want to go to the feather bed, the camp bed is too cold for me to sleep. Come on, let's go! “(2nd act, 1st scene) By the way, Schlegel weakened the clear indecentities of the original in his translation. In the original, Mercutio speaks coarsely: “ Now he's probably sitting under a loquat tree and wishes his girl were a fruit of the kind that girls call the loquat when they laugh alone. Oh Romeo, if she were an open ass and you a pear. “(2nd act, 1st scene, here exceptionally after the translation by Dietrich Klose from 1969.)

Mercutio made his third appearance with Shakespeare in the middle of the second act. He talks to a friend about the fact that they still don't know where Romeo is - when he suddenly appears. Mercutio mocks Romeo, who looks tired after his night under Juliet's balcony: “ Without his roe, like a dried herring. O meat! Flesh! how did you get caught (...) There you have a French greeting for your French baggy pants. You played a nice trick on us that night. (...) A thief. You stole away suddenly. “(2nd act, 4th scene) Then comes Julia's wet nurse, who is also mocked by Mercutio, as mentioned above.

The end of Mercutio comes with his fourth appearance at the beginning of the third act. Daredevil he challenges Tybalt (a Capulet) to a fencing duel - not least to protect his friend Romeo (a Montague) from an impending duel with Tybalt. Romeo, who has meanwhile married Juliet, wants to prevent this fight between his best friend and a cousin of his wife and intervenes. Obstructed by Romeo, Mercutio is fatally stabbed by Tybalt (“ not as deep as a well, nor as wide as a church door ”). Mercutio is accordingly angry with Romeo and the argument between the Montagues and Capulets: “ Why devils! did you come between us? I was wounded under your arm (...) The hell your houses! They made worm food out of me. I've got it gone well; damn kin! “(3rd act, 1st scene) These are Mercutio's last words - coarse like most of him.

Interestingly, in Shakespeare's original version of the tragedy, Mercutio is fatally injured and carried off the stage and dies off the beaten track - a friend then reports about his death: “ O Romeo! the brave friend is dead. His noble spirit swung itself into the clouds, which too soon disdains the dust of the earth. “(3rd act, 1st scene) Most of the directors later insisted on letting Mercutio die on stage.

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