Why Does Shakespeare Constructs Mercutio So Riveting?

Shakespeare is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, playwright/poet in history. His works have inspired millions of people around the world and they are still the subject of much praise and analysis to this day. Shakespeare didn’t become the iconic, culture-defining poet that he is today by writing boring plays and bad writing. He got there because of his profound skills in storytelling and using literary devices. Four of the main devices he loved to use, round and flat characters, blank verse and prose, dramatic speech, and dramatic irony, have all helped bring his stories to life. No play is a greater example of that than Romeo and Juliet. One of the greatest reasons why Romeo and Juliette is so riveting is how Shakespeare constructs
He is always very loyal and honest, and that does not change much. Romeo is a round character, and has many different mood swings and emotions that change throughout the story. These characters work well together because they balance each other out and add contrasting narratives to the story. This quote sums it up perfectly. “True, I talk of dreams, Which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy, Which is as thin of substance as the air.” (Shakespeare 1.4.103-107) Mercutio’s character helps to bring out the love-struck and emotional qualities of Romeo. If Shakespeare didn’t have these characters counteracting each other throughout the story, we wouldn’t be able to see the plot and the characters develop the way that they do. Throughout the whole story, Shakespeare uses a mixture of blank verse and prose to help explain the differences in character wealth, social status, and overall character traits. Blank verse is a type of poetry style that has a rhyme scheme and uses iambic pentameter and metered lines. It sounds much more official than
But, soft, soft! What light through your window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief.” (Shakespeare 2.2.2-5) A character who often speaks in prose is the Nurse. For example, “Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nursed: An I might live to see thee married once, I have my wish.” (Shakespeare 1.3.48-51) This quote was used to help described how pretty Juliet was and how much she loved her. Shakespeare chose to make his characters speak in different variations of blank verse and prose because it helps us to visualize the characters more and gives us a better understanding of the character. Those who spoke in prose, like the Nurse, are mostly flat characters who don’t have a front-and-center role in the story. The characters don’t and shouldn’t give us the impression of a main, wealthy, educated character, which is why Shakespeare chose to use prose for those characters. Blank verse is more suited to characters of wealth and importance, such as characters like Romeo and