Mercutio (character)

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Character
Name: Mercutio
Occupation: Veronese nobleman
Relationships: Cousin of the Prince, friend of Romeo and Benvolio, often shipped with Tybalt or Benvolio
Fandom: Romeo and Juliet, Romeo es Julia
Other:
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Mercutio is a character created by William Shakespeare who appears in Romeo and Juliet and in many of its adaptations, such as Romeo and Juliet: the Musical. He was probably named for Marcuccio Guertio, a rival to Romeo in Giulietta e Romeo by Luigi Da Porto. He is known for his bold personality and sometimes raunchy witticisms. He is discussed in The Catcher in the Rye.

In Canon

In Shakespeare

Mercutio is Romeo and Benvolio's saucy friend who dies in a duel with Tybalt Capulet after Romeo refuses to accept the challenge.

In Roméo et Juliette

In Roméo et Juliette: de la Haine à l'Amour (2001), the original version of the musical, Mercutio's role is expanded upon somewhat. He is described as insane but is portrayed as sophisticated and also believes the others are repressed in ways which he is not. Philippe D'Avilla, who is bald and older than most Mercutios, portrayed him, giving him a slightly sinister air of sophistication.

In Rómeó és Júlia, the Hungarian version, he is portrayed by Zoltán Bereczki. "La Follie" was cut, as were any references to his mental illness, and he was given some additional lines. He is extremely energetic, dances constantly, sings, raps, does flying leaps, and makes numerous jestingly elaborate bows. At one point, he kisses Romeo and tries to kiss Benvolio but doesn't seem serious about it. He also caresses Tybalt's face at one point during their duel.

In the 2010 French revival, Roméo et Juliette: Les Enfants de Vérone, John Eyzen portrayed him very differently than D'Avilla had. Eyzen's Mercutio has long, flowing hair, is very unstable, revels in unpredictability and danger to a greater degree than Zolicutio, and seems to have a love/hate relationship with Tybalt, who he flirts with while fighting. This was likely influenced by Austrian RuJ, where Tybalt kisses Mercutio after mortally wounding him, and the addition of "La Reine Mab (Je Reve)" and the alteration of "La Follie", Mercutio's solo songs. Later in the run, Eyzen cut his hair; his later portrayals are less popular

In Romeo e Giulietta - Ama e Cambia il Mondo, where he was played by Luca Giacomelli Ferrarini with Manuel Bianco as an alternate, Mercutio is deeply depressed and explicitly in love with Romeo, and he passionately kisses Romeo on the lips before dying.

In the Toho productions, Mercutio dies in Benvolio's arms rather than Romeo's. "La Reine Mab" is changed to be about the Capulet ball, and "La Follie" is cut, making his character more straightforward and benignly quirky.

In Fandom

In General

Mercutio is an extremely popular character. In the R&J Shakespearean tag on Ao3, he is the most tagged character. In the French and Hungarian musical subfandoms, he is less tagged than Tybalt but still a highly popular subject for art and fic.

The majority of fans and some scholars interpret him as gay or bi.

He is most frequently shipped with Benvolio or Tybalt, followed by Romeo. Fans who ship him with Romeo often do so as a one-sided ship where Romeo does not love him in return.

The most fandom-popular Mercutio actors from versions using the play's script are Harold Perrineau, who played him in Romeo + Juliet, and John McEnry, who played him in Romeo And Juliet (1968).

One major criticism of the character in and out of fandom is that in some productions, he sexually harasses the Nurse. This is sometimes downplayed, both by actors and in fan content, and has not largely affected the popularity of the character.

RetJ/ResJ Fandom

To differentiate between different versions and runs, musical fans referring to Mercutio sometimes specify by using a specific spelling (ex: Mercuzio from the Italian musical) or by mashing Mercutio's name together with that of the actor who played him (ex: Zolicutio, from the first Hungarian run, played by Zoltán Bereczki). A common trope in fan art which also sometimes appears in fic is for different Mercutios to meet each other. The most popular versions in fan art are Zolicutio and John Eyzen's Mercutio during the part of the run when Eyzen had long, wavy hair.

A number of fans headcanon him as trans[1] or as exemplifying gender in a special way.[2]

Multiple fans have compared Eyzen's Mercutio to Dionysus,[3][4] since the latter is a god of wine, theater and madness; is sometimes depicted with longer, curly hair in ancient statuary;[5] and is associated with the color purple via grapes. This has been referenced in fic.[6]

Some headcanon that Mercutio is attracted to and has slept with Lady Capulet, which occasionally makes its way into fics and art.[7]

Fan Works

Shakespearean Fandom

Writing

Art

Miscellaneous

Musical Fandom

Writing

Art

Miscellaneous

Archives and Links

References

  1. ^ i’ve said it before and i’ll fucking say it again. mercutio transgender @madwhenyrdreaming
  2. ^ i'm sorry i can't be him by @crazyw3irdo
  3. ^ @princeanon's WIP Romeo & Juliet Percy Jackson AU, one example of this phenomenon
  4. ^ Mercutio and Benvolio as Dionysus and Hermes (which makes Romeo Apollo, very fitting) @anonymousgeekhere
  5. ^ Statue of Dionysus, dating to the 2nd century CE; found in Cyrene, Libya, at the Temple of Dionysos
  6. ^ Where do we go now that they're gone? by Kittycatts
  7. ^ Day 2: having relations with your mom lol by @dailymercutio
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