Act: Three Scene: One
Character: Mercutio
No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door,
but 'tis enough, 'twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall
find me a grave man. I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A
plague a’both your houses! 'Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat,
to scratch a man to death! a braggart, a rogue, a villain, that fights
by the book of arithmetic. Why the dev’l came you between us?
I was hurt under your arm.
Speech
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Romeo and Juliet Notes and Activities created by the RSC
Act: Three Scene: One
Character: Mercutio
About the speech
Romeo and Juliet is a play full of contrasts: love and hate, life and death, friends and enemies. A character that
contains a lot of these extremes is Romeo’s best friend Mercutio. He says this speech just after receiving a fatal
wound from Tybalt, a Capulet and enemy of the Montague family. Tybalt had wanted to fight with Romeo but Romeo
refused and Mercutio steps in to duel for his friend. Once the fight starts, Romeo tries to stop them but Tybalt stabs
Mercutio as Romeo tries to break up the fight.
Even though Mercutio is dying he still makes jokes. He says “ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave
man,” meaning both grave, as in serious, and grave as in where you are buried. He also curses the two warring
families: “A plague on both your houses”. He is angry at being a victim of the destructive feud between the
Montagues and the Capulets, blaming them for his death.
How actors work
During rehearsals, directors and actors often investigate the background of the play and character they are bringing
to life. Shakespeare often highlights events happening in Elizabethan England through the language, characters and
plots of his plays. Understanding the context in which these plays were written will help you make interesting
choices about how to perform a particular speech. Actors also connect the character they are playing with their own
experiences and the world around them.
Mercutio is defending Romeo’s honour during the fight where he gets mortally wounded. Looking at Elizabethan
values of honour and duelling, why was it important for Mercutio to defend his friend? What does it tell you about the
relationship between Romeo and Mercutio that he would risk his life for Romeo? What acting choices does that
information give you when playing this speech (particularly the lines Mercutio directs to Romeo)?
Performance Suggestions
There are many ways that you can perform the speech. Mercutio is a fascinating character as he displays so many
extreme emotions. Different actors have chosen to highlight different extremes: a violently angry man, a cynic, a
joker, etc. Take a look at the speech, and try saying the lines as if he is:
·
·
·
·
angry and bitter
joking around to cover up his pain
shocked and sad
panicking because he is dying
This speech is in prose not verse. There are often different reasons why characters speak in prose or verse. Verse
normally signifies high emotion or characters of higher status while prose is normally spoken by characters of a lower
status. This rule does not necessarily apply to Mercutio at this point but a quick move from verse to prose always
shows that a change is taking place, for example in situation, mood or intention. Actors have to find reasons for
themselves, why do you think he is speaking in prose?
Take a look at the language of the speech and try mixing these different choices to see which ones work best for
specific moments.
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