Some say that opposites attract; in some cases they do and in some they do not. A foil is a character who is opposite of another character in order to highlight certain characteristics in both characters. An example of foils in a play that Shakespeare wrote, Romeo and Juliet, including rambunctious Tybalt and the tranquil Benvolio. Another example is the obnoxious funny Mercutio and the lovey dovey Romeo. Romeo and Juliet was a Shakespearean play written 1595 by William Shakespeare. This story of two star crossed lovers takes place in Italy featuring two rival families who cannot stand each other. These two characters are total opposite of each other and bring out the worst and best of each other.
The two foils in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
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Mercutio is different from Romeo because he does not believe in love and makes fun of Romeo and falling in love so heavily all the time. When Romeo describes his love for Rosaline using a rose with thorns as a metaphor. Mercutio laughs and says ”If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking and you beat love down”(I.4.27-28). In another scenario of Romeo and Mercutio’s foils is when Romeo tells his friends about a dream he had about the party and is expecting a disastrous outcome of the party. Mercutio makes fun of Romeo because he does not believe that dreams can become visions of impending danger. “ True. I’m talking about dreams, which are the products of a brain that’s doing nothing. Dreams are nothing but silly imagination, as thin as air, and less predictable than the wind, which sometimes blows on the frozen north and then gets angry and blows south”(1.iv.97-107). Romero is a lovestruck man forever trying to find his love and Mercutio resents love and fills his needs and desires with a good party and jokes. Romeo's a tragedy in the play and Mercutio is a comic relief.
In conclusion that I believe that the foils that can be detected in the story are Romeo and Mercutio and also Tybalt and Benvolio. Romeo's a lovesick Mopper who cherishes love and is always searching for his one true love. Mercutio on the other hand is a witty jokester and is not interested of finding love. Tybalt is a
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Show MoreIn the tragic story by William Shakespeare known as Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio, a close friend of Romeo, displays the tragic flaw of insolence through his disrespectful comments. When Romeo was hesitant to go to the Capulet Party because of a dream that foreshadowed his death, Mercutio was quick to dismiss it and mocked his friend. He classified dreams as “the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy” (Shakespeare ACT I Scene 4). By saying this, Mercutio implies that Romeo’s dream shows that he is dumb because he believes his dream might come true even though dreams are not reality. Mercutio’s words show his rude and disrespectful behavior because he is mocking and taunting Romeo who is sharing something he believes to be
Mercutio is a close friend of Romeo he is seen with wit, humor, and a quick temper. He is very independent and refuses to let others' expectations have a constraint on him. Mercutio begins to understand himself through interactions with other characters such as Romeo, he begins to find his place in the world. He has a deep commitment to himself and his identity disregarding the social norms. Even though he is a great character it gets to the best of him and leads to his death against Tybalt.
Quotes and rhetorical devices help to establish the fact that whenever Romeo is around Mercutio, they are pretty much always
This quote clearly demonstrates Romeo and Mercutio’s fighting taste differences because of how Romeo tries to prevent the fight. This shows two things regarding the
Mercutios relationship with Romeo is a foil because their beliefs are extremely controversial with each other's. Fates, dreams and love are few of the thoughts where they disagree, and there opinions on each matter were shown a myriad throughout the play , this is shown to be true when Romeo states, "In bed asleep, while they do dreams come true" (1.4, lns 52). This quote supports my answer because Romeo is stating that your dream are prophecies where Mercutio, "...nothing but fantasy" (1.4, lns 98) believes that they mean nothing and are just childish thought. Another quote from the text that supports my answer is between Romeo and Mercutio, "And, to sink in it, should you burden love- too great oppression for a tender thing" (1.4, lns 23-24)
Because of Mercutio’s opposing traits to Romeo, he is Romeo’s foil to show Romeo’s significant
Mercutio’s attempt in protecting Romeo’s honor leads to an
In William Shakespeare’s timeless play Romeo and Juliet, two star crossed lovers are faced with great adversity as they hide their romance from their feuding families. As author James Lane Allen once said, “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it”. Romeo, a Montague, struggles to hide his love for the Capulet daughter, Juliet, from his family and friends. The challenge of lying to his closest companions, and going against his family’s ways to secretly marry Juliet causes Romeo to act erratically and carelessly. Throughout Act 3 Scene One, Shakespeare exposes the lovestruck Romeo’s mercurial nature and impulsivity through his thoughtless actions.
William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, provides great foils for the main character, Romeo. Shakespeare includes many foils throughout his stories to make his character’s emotions, attitude, and characteristics more apparent. Romeo’s character traits, lovestruck, cowardness, and emotional are highlighted through his foils, best friend Mercutio, and enemy, Tybalt. Romeo’s foils help to make his character’s personality stronger and clear. One character trait that’s highlighted through Tybalt is Romeo’s complete awe and love for Juliet.
Mercutio says that dreams mean nothing, and pressures him into going to the party anyways. Romeo agrees, and begins the chain of events that lead to his and Juliet’s deaths. He shows how reluctant he is to go by stating,
The classic hero vs. villian storylines have been used in traditional and nontraditional texts for centuries. The creators use classic character foil in order to achieve the distinguishable hero and villain. Othello by William Shakespeare uses character foil to achieve a , protagonist Othello and an ,Iago, antagonist the play and in the movie adaptation Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago/Ben Jago is a villain because of how he manipulates others in order to get ahead and they also have some differences, but in the play Iago is more of a villain than Ben Jago in the movie adaptation. Throughout the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago is a villain because of how manipulative he is.
Throughout the whole play both Romeo and Mercutio were there for each other when in need of a friend or even just some comforting words. Mercutio always seems to say the right things to put Romeo back on track and in focus. While Romeo was relentlessly weeping over his unrequited love for Rosaline, Mercutio, with his wise and caring words said, “‘Why is not this not better than groaning for love? Now art thou sociable.
Character Defense: Romeo We perceive that Romeo is innocent due to his apparent love for Tybalt and his clear disesteem to the brawl unfolding. He wanted to advent the violence thrust upon him by his love (Tybalt). He cared too much to fight him but when a good life-long friend, Mercutio, is murdered in front of his very eyes he is shaken to the core. He did this while not in the correct state of mind, cleary in a haze of sorrow and guilt not yet fully comprehending the effects of his actions. His gentle altercation with Tybalt defines his love for his friends and family.
Types of Love in Romeo and Juliet In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses real life scenarios to convey a deep and heartwarming literary work. Romeo and Juliet showcase different types of love throughout the play in unique characters. First, Shakespeare creates the love and bond of friendship between Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio. Secondly, to show parental love he uses characters such as, Friar Laurence, Capulet, Lady Capulet, and Nurse.
Romeo & Juliet Essay Indirect characterization is a literary skill that most authors, or playwrights, use to give information about a character to the audience without directly saying it. Juxtaposition contributes greatly to the indirect characterization of a character by showing off their complexity and how they react to a situation. By using juxtaposition to give show a character’s style, an author could show the audience the character’s thinking pattern, reactions, and all other aspects of that character. William Shakespeare, the playwright of many famous plays, is known for using both juxtaposition and indirect characterization in his work, especially in one of his most famous titles, Romeo and Juliet.