R+J Essay

Romeo and Juliet

Draft 1

Literary Essay

            The tale of Romeo and Juliet has many twists and turns, but the twists and turns that make up the character of Mercutio are far greater. A kinsman of the prince and a close friend of Romeo, he adds so much to the story in just the four scenes he is in. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is the tale of two star-crossed lovers, bound apart by a family feud. Slowly the feud grows violent and Mercutio and Tybalts’ deaths trigger a new level of hate between the families. I think that Mercutio’s death teaches the reader a lot, but most importantly that haste leads to tragedy. His cunning yet humorous attitude teaches the reader a lot about what’s important in life and what isn’t.

            Mercutio teaches the reader a lot about love. He constantly makes fun of love and Romeo’s emotional swings. He makes fun of love through lines with hidden sexual meanings. For example he says, “That’s as much to say, such a case as yours constrains a man to bow in the hams” in one scene where Romeo tells Mercutio and Benvolio about his night with Juliet. By hams, Mercutio means hamstrings. He is stating that Romeo had to “bow his hams” implying he had sex with Juliet. This is one example of Mercutio mocking Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. This line shows how Mercutio believes that when a man talks of love what he actually is thinking about is sex. That is the only appeal of love to a man. This is one example of Mercutio teaching the reader about love through hidden meanings.

            Mercutio is also very wise. He makes a lot of Jokes and likes to tease people, but in the end he cares a lot about Romeo and has a lot of good advice. In one scene, the two roughhouse on the ground just like “old times”. This is the first part in the whole story where Romeo hasn’t been moping about Rosaline or talking about love.  Mercutio offers Romeo some insight and shows him how talking with friends is better than groaning of love. “Is not this better than groaning for love? Now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo, now art thou what thou art?” This is an example of Mercutio showing Romeo that friends are more important than women. This line is wise and thoughtful and shows how much Mercutio cares about his friend Romeo.

            Both of these examples prove one center message. That Mercutio has a great influence on the characters of this story. After Mercutio’s death, Juliet and Romeo think too fast. They want to move far away and they already have gotten married. Rather than taking their time, their impatience leads to Romeo not receiving a vital message and poisoning himself, and Juliet “killing” herself to avoid being married to Paris. As you can see, Mercutio has a vital role in trying to teach Romeo to be patient and have fun.

In closing, you can see how important the role of Mercutio is. He teaches a valid point in showing that haste leads to tragedy. His death leads to Romeo killing Tybalt without thinking of the consequences. I think people should listen to Mercutio and pay close attention to the hidden meaning beneath his words.

The Fall of Rome

Reading Response


     I am reading "The Fall of Rome" by Martha Southgate. This fascinating novel tell three simultaneous stories of three people all related in a number of ways. They are all connected by the boarding school that two teach at and one is enrolled at. The all boy's boarding school is new to a recent divorcee from Cleveland escaping back home to Connecticut after she feels romantic towards a student. It is also new to a boy from New York City ghetto who never dreamed of as good an education as the boarding school offers. However, a veteran, Mr. Washington who has taught Latin at the primarily white school, finds himself alongside a black boy for once. I find it fascinating, the way that southgate connects the characters is amazing.

     The relationships of the three characters are amazing. The female teacher finds herself somewhat attracted to Mr. Washington. She also likes the black boy she teaches english to. She calls him "shy but full of thought" and Mr. Washington doesn't know how he feels about the kid exactly. Will it be awkward being the only two black people at the school? I really wanna know how the story develops. Also, the boy runs track. He is very good and Washington is one of the coaches. I also wanna see what friendships Jana (the female teacher) because she left cleveland out of nowhere. I wanna see how she develops as a character. So far she has made a few "friends" with her colleagues. They had brunch together but I still think it will be interesting what interactions southgate comes up with.

    I think Martha Southgate did a really great job taking a somewhat boring setting like an all boys boarding school in Connecticut and making a very intense story out of it. Although all the characters are related through the boarding school, I think they are also all related through a shooting. Washington's friend was killed in a hold up. The boy's older brother was also killed in a hold up, and the student that Jana liked was arrested in a holdup. Coincidence? I think not.

     I would definitely recommend this book. It is magnificent and very good. I can't wait to see how the characters develop even more and how their relationships change in new and even more complex ways like they have so far.