Throughout life in Verona, we
grow up and change. Some of us spend our entire life waiting for the day we
become an adult – praying for independence, separation, and responsibility.
While others cling desperately onto their childhood, wishing upon every star
that Santa is real and responsibility is a myth. Sure we all wish we could
become an immortal hero like Robin Hood or Peter Pan. Most of us just realize
the impracticality of this.
Mercutio was a person who never stopped wanting to
be Peter Pan. He pitied people who grew up. He snapped at adults and wanted no
bed time and to stay up and party. He believed Romeo to be his wingman,
sidekick, partner in crime, and best friend. He was a man who viewed love and
commitment as terrifying expectations for adults. Mercutio wanted to live free
of responsibility and consequences. But everybody wakes up at one point, and realizes
that Neverland is only in dreams and only Peter Pan can stay young forever.
During an interview with Romeo we learned that this
was Mercutio’s initial response to Romeos tragic break up. “Why is it not this
better now than groaning for love? Now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo,
now art thou what thou art, by art well as by nature. For this diveling love is
like a great natural that runs lolling up and down to hide his babble.” - (Act 2 Scene 9 Lines 90-95)
Mercutio was trying to say that being in love changed
Romeo and his lifestyle and his priorities. Mercutio wanted to know where
Romeos socialite attitude went. Where the old Romeo went. Romeos fun, carefree personality
went missing and in its place was a crumbing, disaster, of Mercutio’s best
friend. This is one of the reasons Mercutio viewed falling in love equal to
accepting death because he watched as Romeo gave himself away to another person
and lost himself there. The Romeo he knew “died” and mourned over not just the
girl he lost (Rosaline) but the person he was before the Rosaline. Mercutio was
scared of any real commitment because he thought that any time he opened
himself up or committed to a relationship he would end up just like Romeo – a shell
of a man.
Mercutio fought to keep himself away from falling
in love or growing up by partying every night and hanging around with many
different girls – and he tried to save his friends from that dreaded fate by convincing
them to do the same. From an exclusive interview with Benvolio, Romeos cousin
and one of Mercutio’s comrades, it was said that Mercutio was very protective
of Romeo and tried unsuccessfully and kind of ironically, to make Romeo view
love the same way. Mercutio put his friendship with Romeo before anything else,
while Romeo put his relationship with girls before anything else. I mean Mercutio
died fighting the Capulets for Romeo, and Romeo died for a girl he couldn’t be
with. So at times Mercutio felt he needed to remind Romeo of all the fun they
have together. Mercutio convinces a sulking Romeo to break into a Capulet party
to take his mind off the hardships and consequences of love. Mercutio wants to
convince Romeo that he doesn’t need “one true love” when he can have 30
different girls and be just as happy.
What happens at this party? Romeo meets Juliet. The
girl he ends up dying for.
At the end of the interview with Romeo he says Mercutio
gave his this advice after his first heart break, “If love be rough with you,
be rough with love. Prick love for pricking and you beat love down. (Act 1
Scene 4 lines 27-28)
As if he was an eight-year-old, Mercutio felt the
need to argue everything and always win, even if that was just by making the
other person mad enough to resign. Mercutio was spotted with Benvolio and Romeo
when he began to banter with Romeo without provocation. Then Juliet’s nurse
arrives, a woman who is noticeably older than the boys, and without any indication
Mercutio begins to taunt the adult. It was said that Mercutio’s wit consisted
of “Good Peter, to hide her face, for her fan’s the fairer face” and “Farwell
ancient lady. Farewell lady, lady, lady.” And even singing about meat pies and
rabbit meat. As everyone at the scene could tell, Mercutio’s humor was equal to
that of a teenage boy.
Mercutio was known as a free spirit and wanted to
experience everything in life instead of living entirely for one goal. Before
we lost him, he told us, “We waste our lights in vain, lights by day.” (Act 1
Scene 4 Line 48)
This showed that there was a kind of morbid, sad
twist to Mercutio’s light, hopeful, childish behavior. Mercutio had eyes for
death, he saw his future and he saw himself losing his lust for life and need
for adventure, just like what he watched happen to Romeo after losing Rosaline.
What Mercutio never saw and never experienced and never understood was how on
top of the world Romeo felt while in love. That Romeos need for adventure was
quenched when with Juliet or Rosaline. Mercutio couldn’t wrap his head around
the idea that growing up might bring new escapades that childhood could never
give him. He stayed where he felt safe, where he could continue his immature,
dream filled life - Verona.
Verona was some what like Neverland for our beloved
Mercutio in the sense that it was his comfort zone. it was where Mercutio could
be a child and no one would judge him or tell him he couldn’t. In Verona, Mercutio
was allowed to party every night. In Verona, Mercutio didn’t have a single
responsibility. In Verona, Mercutio felt free. It especially symbolizes Neverland
because the minute Romeo was banished and left Verona he was smacked in the
face with reality. With struggles he couldn’t even imagine existing in the
bubble of Verona. Mercutio stayed where he was comfortable and never got the
chance to discover himself outside that comfort.
In the long run Mercutio was terrified of dying old
and what he saw as unhappy. So he practically killed himself to remain in everyone’s
eyes as young, strong, daring, and in the middle of a story book. It was public
when Mercutio challenged Tybalt to a duel and fought for Romeo, for the Montagues,
for his pride. He fought knowing that he would most likely die, kind of wanting to die. Wanting to die a hero,
to leave the world before he had to face reality.
Mercutio finally realized he could never be Robin
Hood or Peter Pan, but Mercutio was a man full of pride and stubbornness and he
wouldn’t allow his reputation go down in flames when he turned sixty. So he
froze his childish, innocent, fun-loving, image into time. Citizens of Verona, must
honor Mercutio’s spirit and wish and make Verona a little more like Neverland.
Mercutio should forever be known as the Peter Pan
of Verona.
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