Mercutio is known for his punning and sparkling word play. That ability with language does not leave him in act 3, scene 1 after Tybalt mortally wounds him. He shows his wit and humor, for example, when he says in response to Romeo's assurances that he can't be badly hurt,

Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.

Mercutio knows he is going to die but is still able to joke about it. He says he will be a "grave" man, or a dead man in his grave, by tomorrow, and he will also be a silent, solemn man, punning on the two meanings of the word grave.

Mercutio shows his anger, too, when he calls, twice, for

A plague o' both your houses!

In saying this, he curses the feud that has gotten him tangled up in a sword fight that has led to his death. He is angered, as well, that Tybalt is the one who killed him (mostly because Romeo interfered), saying of this rival,

A braggart, a rogue, a villain that fights by the book of arithmetic!

Mercutio also shows both anger and complete sharpness of mind when he asks Romeo why he interfered:

Why the devil came you between us?

Mercutio's death is one of the tragedies of the play, as we cannot help but feel bad when this bright, energetic light is snuffed out so young. Although Mercutio is not a member of either the Capulet or Montague families, he has been tempted into a fight that was too dangerous for him by the existence of the feud.