Mercutio's Mind

In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is a very complex character. He has a way about him that's hectic and almost panicked. He provokes people in clever ways, by using insults that aren't obvious to everyone. Mercutio gives off an air of nonchalance and detachment, but under the surface, he seems to be living in a bit of turmoil.

In the Queen Mab speech, Mercutio goes a little bit insane. Romeo sets him off with a harmless comment about dreams, and he goes off on what is at first a light-hearted, fanciful monologue  but turns into something rather dark and disturbing. I believe that in the Queen Mab speech, we see a little bit of what Mercutio is like under his jokey exterior. Why does he go on about dreams into such length? He says that dreams are "the children of an idle brain" and he talks of people who dream as if he's not included in them, and as if they're being taken advantage of or being controlled by the dreams they're having. Does Mercutio believe himself to be above others? This is plausible, as he makes fun of those around him on a regular basis.

Something I've noticed about Mercutio is that a small amount of his lines are in verse. Many of his lines  seem more disorganized than those of other characters. Shakespeare is showing, in this, the hectic and disorganized nature of Mercutio himself. He's a very intense person, and seems very caught up in his own mind most of the time. He has intense highs and lows, sometimes helping Romeo out and encouraging him to do things, and sometimes just disregarding him. The only time Mercutio gives a clear piece of advice/ a premonition is on his deathbed, with the line "A plague o' both your houses"

Mercutio is a whirlwind of activity who seems to suck Romeo and Benvolio into things, regardless of what they want. He's complex, and seems to have an underlying personal conflict under all of his jokes.