What qualities are revealed in Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet?

With an appropriate name, Mercutio is, indeed, mercurial; that is, he demonstrates much changeable emotion.

• Imaginative and Witty

His Queen Mab monologue, which is pivotal to plot, theme, and character, certainly exemplifies his flights of imagination and his inconstancy of emotion. When Romeo stops him, saying, "Thou speaketh of nothing," Mercutio replies, "True, I talk of dreams" (1.4).

Mercutio is a critic of stale custom. When the Nurse arrives with yards of clothing, Mercutio ridicules her outfit, taking the lengths of cloth and shouting, "A sail! A sail!" And, when the Nurse puts her fan before her face, Mercutio says in humorous alliteration, "...but her fan's the fairer face" (2.4).

• Clever and playful

After Benvolio and Mercutio depart from the Capulet masque, they call to Romeo. Mercutio tries to conjure Romeo by recalling to him Rosaline's attributes--"bright eyes," "scarlet lip," "fine foot," and "quivering thigh," but Romeo does not answer. When Benvolio tells Mercutio he will anger Romeo, Mercutio defends his mockery by saying that Romeo would only be angry if he were to insult Rosaline, which he actually is doing, though with subtlety.

Often Mercutio plays on the meanings of words, using puns. While there are any number of these in the play, here are three examples:

1. "Any man that can write may answer a letter." (2.4) [the pun is on answer= verbally and physically respond ]


2. Sure wit: follow me this jest now till thou hast
   worn out thy pump, that when the single sole of it (2.4)
   is worn, the jest may remain after the wearing solely singular. [sole of a shoe, and solely=by itself]


3. No hare, sir; unless a hare, sir, in a lenten pie,
   that is something stale and hoar ere it be spent [pun on "whore" as Mercutio uses the sound of the word "hoar," meaning moldy or rotten.]

Mercutio does not have a high opinion of love. In Act II, Scene 4, Benvolio and Mercutio are again looking for Romeo. Benvolio says that he is not at his father's and Mercutio again comments upon Rosaline:

Why, that same pale hard-hearted wench, that Rosaline.
Torments him so, that he will sure run mad (2.4).

In Act III, Mercutio moves from being playful to becoming volatile. In the beginning of the act, he teases Benvolio. In fact, Shakespeare switches from formal verse in his speech to common prose:

Thou art like one of those fellows that...enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword upon the table and says 'God send me no need of thee!" and by the operation of the second cup draws him on the drawer, when indeed there is no need. (3.1.)

However, shortly after these playful words, Mercutio becomes inflamed by the intrusion of Tybalt, and although he employs his puns, Mercutio curses Tybalt and challenges him. fights, and is killed.