Romeo and Juliet Group

Question:

gurley12
gurley12
Student
High School - 9th Grade

What kind of mood do Benvolio, Mercutio, and Romeo express in Act II, scene 4 as Juliet’s Nurse comes to see Romeo? How do they show this mood?

romeo and juliet

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Posted by gurley12 on Thursday February 19, 2009 at 8:22 AM and tagged with characters, romeo, romeo and juliet, tone.

Answers:

  1. mwestwood
    mwestwood Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    In this light-hearted scene from "Romeo and Juliet," Romeo is no longer melancholy over the loss of Rosaline as he was in Act I.  Mercutio cries "A sail, a sail!" (27), joking about the size of the Nurse's clothing that must in part be carried by the servant Peter.   Benvolio joins into the jest;  "Two, two--a shirt and a smock" (28).When she asks Peter for her fan, Mercutio tells Peter to please give it to her because the fan looks better than her face: "Good Peter, to hide her face; for her fan's the fairer face"(32).

    Romeo, too, jests with the loquacious Nurse as he speaks in puns, partly to impress Mercutio and Benvolio as well.

    I can tell you; but young Romeo will be older when you have found him than he/ was when you sought him:  I am the youngest of that name, for fault of a worse (35-36).

    When the Nurse rambles about Paris and "toads" and "rosemary" and "Romeo" both beginning with a letter, Romeo toys with the Nurse, but she responds in good humor and leaves after having complimented him, saying she will "commend" him to her lady.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/romeo

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    Posted by mwestwood on Thursday February 19, 2009 at 11:05 AM