Mercutio

Mercutio (Mur-Q-She-O) is a character in William Shakespeare's famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. He is a relative of Prince Escalus (also called The Prince), and is a good friend of the Montagues, or, specifically, the son of Montague, Romeo.

Related Topics:
William Shakespeare - Tragedy - Romeo and Juliet - Prince Escalus - Montagues - Romeo

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Mercutio is apt to make long, drawn out speeches (Queen Mab is the most well known), and is generally thought to be a bit crazy. He dies when Romeo attempts to stop his bejoking sword-fight with Tybalt (Tih-bult). He dies, but not before cursing both the houses of Montague and Capulet (of which Tybalt is a member, being Juliet's cousin). His death is tragic, in that his friends thought that he was only pretending to be wounded. His line describing his wound, "'Tis not deep as a well, nor wide as a church door, but 'tis enough, 'twill serve," has become famous. In revenge Romeo slays Tybalt and is "exiled hence" from Verona, the Italian city state wherein the story takes place.

Related Topics:
Queen Mab - Romeo - Tybalt - Capulet - Juliet - Verona - Italian - City state

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It's worth noting that Mercutio's name may possibly be from the word "mercurial", meaning, "having an unpredictable and fast-changing mood", a fairly accurate description of Mercutio's personailty.

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