How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet?   Essay Romeo and Juliet is a tragic tale of a pair of doomed lovers who come from opposing families. Due to the ongoing feud between their kin, they are forced to marry in secret and from here; one of the most memorable love of stories of all time unfolds. Its timeless story has sprung numerous interpretations, both in the theatre and on the silver screen. However, of all films and plays that have been made, Baz Luhrmans version is by far the best. He has modernised Shakespeares masterpiece to suit the modern audience, and where as in many film versions the true essence of the story is lost, Luhrman manages to keep Romeo and Juliet every bit as enchanting as it was when Shakespeare first put pen to paper. When reading the script of Romeo and Juliet, there is much to enjoy, the epic tale of love, the beautiful language and the riveting action scenes. In the film, some of the language is lost, but, in its place comes some very impressive gun fights and many comical appearances, seeing Mercutio in drag being something that many viewers remember after having watched the film, and with good reason, it is a genuinely funny moment. Though some of the artistic language is lost during the translation to film, the theme of romance remains constant throughout. If one was to analyse both the play and the film thoroughly they would almost certainly make a note of the fact that one character is essential to developing all themes, whether they be common between the play and the film or unique to each presentation. That character is Mercutio. We will write a custom essay sample on How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet?   specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet?   specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet?   specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer When Mercutio first enters the play he is with the Montagues when they are about enter the Capulets party, he has an instant impact on Romeo by attempting cheer him up by helping him forget about Rosaline. Mercutios personality also becomes evident in his first scene in the play. Firstly, it is clear that Mercutio is hostile towards love. When Romeo refuses to dance, Mercutio makes fun of him, telling him to, borrow cupids wings. Romeo dismisses this remark and says that love is, too rough, and that it pricks like thorn. Mercutio replies by saying, if love be rough with you be rough with love. This is a very strange comment to associate with something as tender as love and shows that Mercutio has some negative feelings towards love, though what they are and what the cause is, we will never know. This theme of hatred of love is apparent throughout Mercutios time in the play. Shakespeare also makes use of iambic pentameter to show the deep friendship between Mercutio and Romeo. This is done by making them finish each others Iambic Pentameter. For instance, on line 50-51, Romeos speech has six beats and Mercutio ends it with four beats. Finally, Shakespeare shows off Mercutios intelligence in the form of the Queen Mab speech. There are currently no records of a fictional dream fairy called Queen Mab and so we can assume that it is a figment of Mercutios imagination. His superbly detailed description is amazing considering the speed at which he has comes up with it. He generally uses stylish language with metaphors playing a large part in his description of Queen Mab. She is the fairies midwife. This once again shows Mercutios intelligence. When presented on stage during the fifteenth to sixteenth century this sort of intelligent language would have a strong appeal to the upper classes. This is not the only time that Mercutio makes use of his language to showcase his intelligence. In Shakespearean times, using foreign language is a great sign of intelligence and Mercutio does this by using French words such as, Bonjour. Mercutio also shows his love of being the centre of attention. In the text, this is mainly shown b y giving Mercutio most of the speech whenever is in a scene. For instance in Act 1 Scene 4 he takes up more than a page with his Queen Mab Speech alone. However, when presenting this same scene, Baz Luhrman decides to use Mercutios appearance and actions to show what his language does in the text. The first thing that strikes the viewer about Mercutio is that he is black. This may seem obvious but traditionally, black people do not appear in any of Shakespeares plays. This was mainly the case during the fifteenth to sixteenth century, however, even in modern times a black person starring in a interpretation of Shakespeares plays is highly uncommon. This makes Mercutio the centre of attention from the instant that he is introduced and so it has a similar effect to that of his domination of text. Another striking feature of Mercutios presentation is that he is in drag. This is a very bold and uncommon way to introduce a character and once again links in with Mercutios love of being the centre of attention. Unfortunately, the wonderful Queen Mab speech somewhat loses its power and appeal in the transition to the silver screen. Where as the text puts the speech down to Mercutios strange but intelligent humour, the film shows it to be a result of drugs. I believe that this is a false interpretation, but, it does contribute heavily to another part of Mercutios personality. His ability to lighten the mood and be funny. His speech makes everyone around him, including Romeo, laugh and relax and this is very important to the viewers enjoyment of the film. Upon entering the party, Mercutio shows no sign of slowing up and so he begins dancing in drag. Once again he is the centre of attention but his hilarious dance is very enjoyable and entertaining and is certainly vital to the audiences enjoyment of the film. Mercutio also brings humour to both Baz Luhrmans and Shakespeares versions but make rude, sexually orientated jokes such as, oh that she were an open arse; thou a poperin-pear. If these jokes were to be presented during Shakespearean times then they would certainly appeal to the lower classes. However, Mercutio is not the only character to make rude jokes. The nurse also makes the occasional joke. For instance, thou wilt fall backwards when thou comst of age. These crude jokes may not be as obvious as Mercutios but they would certainly provide the audience with a few laughs. Once again this will appeal to the lower class audience of Shakespearean times as well as the younger audience of today. Luhrman also chooses to make Lady Capulets actions comical by speeding up her movement and making her act hysterical. Shakespeare even makes the battling servants at the start of the play make rude jokes so as to entertain the groundlings. I am a pretty piece of flesh. Also the fact that the se rvants are fighting appeals to the groundlings while the entrance of Benvolio and Tybalt, both of whom are of a higher status, attracts an upper class audience. So far, I have discussed how Mercutios unique personality intrigues the viewer, and also, how other things may have a similar effect. However, I am yet to discuss a part of the story that is completely essential to the audiences enjoyment. An aspect that would leave the story flat and boring were it to be removed. This is the excellent fighting scenes. Mercutio is a very energetic person who loves to stir and who would gladly fight to defend the honour of his friends, and this is what he does. In Act 3 Scene 1, Tybalt seeks Romeo for vengeance after having spotted his intrusion of the Capulet party. Prior to the fight (Act 2 Scene 4), we see Benvolio and Mercutio discussing Tybalt and when Mercutio is asked what is so special about Tybalt he labels him the Prince of Cats. Even though this may some to be nothing, it does enable Mercutio to use some very clever language when he faces Tybalt later. The scene remains unchanged in the film. In Act 3 Scene 1 we see Mercutio and Benvolio are speaking when Tybalt arrives in search of Romeo. Tybalt tries to speak with Mercutio but he continuously makes jokes. This is very interesting that even in the face of adversary; Mercutio is able to remain relaxed and humorous. Eventually, Romeo arrives. Tybalt challenges Romeo but Romeo backs down, saying that he loves the name Capulet as dearly as his own and so he should be satisfied. Mercutio is outraged by Romeos actions, O calm, vile, dishonourable submission! Mercutio then proceeds to show off his intelligence by using Italian fencing language, Alla stoccata, to name Tybalt. Mercutio then challenges Tybalt to a fight. At this point Romeo tries to intervene, but he is unable to stop Mercutio becoming wounded. Benvolio then asks Mercutio if he is hurt and he replies, a scratch a scratch. This is remarkable. A man on his death bed is still able to make intelligent jokes. In this case, the scratch is relating to the name of Prince of Cats that was given to Tybalt previously by Mercutio himself. Mercutio then goes on to talk about how he is about to die, Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man. However, he never slips away from his intelligent use of language and this suggests that he has a lot of pride. Mercutios final words then prophesise the tragedy that is about to take place for the two households. A plague on both your houses. This death scene is possibly the best in the entire story. It has everything, action, tragedy and humour. All of these aspects are due to Mercutio. Had he not fought Tybalt, there would have been no action, had he not been killed, there would have been no tragedy, and most importantly, had he not been present, no other character would have been able to bring humour to such a grim situation. In this aspect, Mercutio is certainl y the most important character for the readers enjoyment of the play. Baz Luhrmans version of Romeo and Juliet portrays this scene in a very similar way. However, some text is cut out but this is purely for cinematic reasons. If Luhrman had chosen to include the entire text of Romeo and Juliet the film would be over four hours long and few people have the concentration to watch a film for so long. Also, a lot of the text cut out would not appeal to our modern audience and would mainly make references to the Shakespearean times and use colloquial language. Personally, I believe that his interpretation of Mercutios death is superb. The essence of the story is captured perfectly and Mercutio gives an excellent final performance. In fact, in the film version, his humour shines through in all its glory, with his actions supporting his various wisecracks flawlessly. Luhrman also emphasises his final words with the help of echoes. This is vital to our modern audience who would otherwise not understand the significance of his comments. Finally, Mercutio, even in death, has a huge effect on the story. His passing acts as a catalyst for the final tragedy that will take place. His death results in Romeo killing Tybalt. Consequently, he is banished from Verona. Juliet is distraught by this and so, she decides to fake her own death so that she may be with Romeo. However, the note sent to Romeo telling him about Juliets plan does not reach its destination and so Romeo truly believes that Juliet is dead and when he sees her body he is overcome with sorrow and so he takes his own life. Juliet then awakes to see her lover dead and so she too takes her life and there they lay, together at last. So as you can see, Mercutio is not only important to the audiences enjoyment but he is also vital to the development of the tale. Everything is holistic, but without Mercutio this would not be the case. However, despite all of the afore mentioned features of Mercutio. He is not the only character to bring various qualities to the story. I mentioned earlier that Mercutio brings a lot of action to the story, but I failed to say that Tybalt also brings action to the story. In fact, he is involved in every scene of violence. From the opening fight between the Montagues and the Capulets, to the final showdown between Romeo and himself. From this point of view, Tybalt is very important to the audiences enjoyment of the story. Another aspect of Mercutios role is also shared by three other characters. This is his ability to prophesise the forthcoming tragedy, a plague on both your houses. Romeo is the first to foresee the devastating future. This occurs when he is about to enter the Capulet part and so meet Juliet for the first time. He states, My mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars/ shall bitterly begin its fearful date with this nights revels. This is perhaps the most accurate of all predictions as his meeting with Juliet is the ultimate cause of all the heartbreak that is soon to follow. Once again, Tybalt also takes on this role of foreseeing the future when he says, this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet convert to bitterest gall. This symbolises the inevitable fight between Romeo and himself. Friar Lawrence then makes the final prophecy when he says that Romeo and Juliet are, wedded to calamity. It is also ironic that it is his potion that is the final cause of Romeo and Juliet ta king their lives. So far, I have discussed the importance of the characters to the readers enjoyment of the play. However, there are also many other areas of presentation that are very important. For instance the use of motifs, most of which are exclusive to the film, are significant when it comes to appreciating the finer points of this timeless fable. For instance, the fact that both Juliet and Romeo are associated with water is very important. When we first see Juliet she is under water. This is traditionally associated with being lost (hence the saying lost at sea). Romeo also puts his head into a bowl of water when he is at the party and so this shows a link between himself and Juliet. Then, when Romeo and Juliet meet they are divided by a fish tank fill with water. This use of imagery is then extended even further by the fact that they both fall into the water together when Romeo goes to meet her. It is this excessive use of water that allows me to label it as a motif. Another motif that is used throughout the play is that the light always shines on Juliet. This shows her purity and innocence. Romeo even labels her as the sun. Baz Luhrman also uses the party as a very clever way of portraying each characters personality and role in the film. This is done by the use of costumes. Romeo is shown to be a Knight in shining armour and Juliet is portrayed as an angel. Pure, innocent and waiting to be rescued. Tybalt is the devil. This symbolises his love of fighting and the fact that he is always the cause of violence and death. Finally, Mercutio is in drag. This shows his insecurity, but also his love of being the centre of attention. Also, Luhrman uses street and building names to emphasise various aspects of the story. For instance, in the opening scenes, the camera zooms in on the skyscrapers with the names Capulet and Montague on them. Also, when at the petrol station, the camera focuses on a sign that says, add more fuel to your fire. This shows that the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues has been ignited. Another sign that I found very clever and interesting was that when we first see Romeo, he is depressed under a sycamore tree whilst thinking about Rosaline. However, when he meets his true love Juliet, he is in a street called Sycamore Grove. This may seem irrelevant but it is these small details that make a film truly enjoyable. Last, but most certainly not least, the romance theme will undoubtedly appeal to the masses. This theme is, in terms of language far more evident in Shakespeares written play. For instance, we know that Mercutio and Romeo are very close, and so they finish each others Iambic Pentameter and also able to easily speak about the same subjects whilst using the same similes and metaphors. Nevertheless, this close friendship developed over a long time. Romeo and Juliet on the other hand are like this from the instant that they meet and so this shows that they are soul mates. For example, when speaking with each other for the first time, they both talk based on the subject of pilgrims and lips. Also they complete each others Iambic Pentameter from their first words to each other. In Act 2 Scene 2, on line 112-113. Romeos speech has 5 beats and so does Juliets. This also shows their equality as they both have an even number of beats where as Mercutio usually has one or two more that Romeo to give emphasis to his domination of all other characters. In conclusion, Mercutio is by far the most influential character in both the film and the play. He is vital to the development of themes, stories and is vital to the humorous and action scenes in the play. Though he may not be the only character to bring these various qualities to the play, he is the only one that unites all of these features into one unique personality that leaves the audience both content and yet strangely dissatisfied. The absence of Mercutio would be truly criminal, he is a fantastic character that breathes new life into an otherwise tired genre of romance. Saying that he is central to the readers enjoyment does not do his role justice, and no amount of adjectives could possibly describe the significance of Mercutio to Romeo and Juliet.

Economic Depression in USA

Economic Depression in USA Introduction Economic depression is defined as the sustained and prolonged down-turn in the economy of a country. Depression is considered more extreme and severe than economic recession. Though depression is considered a form of recession only that depression is characterized by its length, the abnormality of economic factors like rising cases of unemployment, decline in credit availability and also shrinking output and highly volatile monetary value.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Economic Depression in USA specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Depression is linked to the following two indicators; decline in the Gross Domestic Product by a margin of more than 10% and secondly a recession period exceeding 2 years. According to Foldvary, recession is derived from the word recede that implies falling back and it lasts for a very short time and depression is understood based on the degree of output fall and the extend of the down-turn (Foldvary 3). An economic depression happens when there is fall in output below the long-run trend. The Depression of 1873-1879 This depression was as a result of the bankruptcy of the railroad investment firm of Jay Cooke and company and particularly the restrictive monetary policy of the federal government; this is whereby the gold standard increment could not maintain the pressure for money demands that could enhance the growth of the economy. Deflation is also a factor that led to this depression (Watkins and Allay 1) The Depression of 1893-1898 This was considered to be the worst form of depression ever witnessed in the US before the 1930. It first emanated from the agricultural crises that affected the southern cotton belt and the Great Plains in 1880s and it later hit the Wall Street and the urban areas in 1893. This from of depression led to a massive unemployment which is still considered the highest in the US history at 20-25%, the depression resulted in wide spread poverty among the Americans of various income levels. The magnitude of the depression was so acute that by 12896, it was made a popular subject of political campaigns (Edwards 1) The Great Depression of 1929-1933 The United States of America experienced the worst, the longest and the most severe economic depression in the year 1929. This depression led to an acute decline in output, extreme unemployment and drastic deflation in the USA and it has been ranked the second calamity to the civil war.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This depression was largely associated to several factors like the reduced consumer demand, great financial panic and misplaced government spending that forced a fall in economic output. This depression led to the reduction in industrial production by 47% and the subsequent reduction of the Gross Domestic product (GDP) by 30%, it also resulted in the decline in the wholesale price index or otherwise referred as deflation by 33%; also the unemployment rate reached 20% which was considered the highest point at that time (Romer 1). This depression is just considered severe when compared to the next depression to hit America in the year 1981-82 that resulted in the decline of GDP by 2%. The USA recovery from this depression began in 1933 when the GDP began to improve at 95 per annum (Romer 3). The 1930 depression saw the increased level of unemployment characterized by a lot of labor force but no work to do and the worst part of depression was in 1933 when the unemployment rate fall below 10%. Recession appeared twice during the great depression, in the august of 1929 and March of 1933 between as indicated by the following graph; Concerning unemployment, the high rate of unemployment is demonstrated by the following graph; Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Economic Depression in USA specif ically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another main indicator of the great depression is the GDP which was greatly affected as seen in the following graph; During the great depression, the most hit sector was the banking sector. The following table is an indication of how banks were affected including the number of suspended banks and also indicates the decrease in the number of banks as a result of merger, failure or collapse and voluntary liquidation. Number of banks and bank suspension Year Number as of 12-31 Suspensions 1929 24,633 659 1930 22,773 1350 1931 19970 2293 1932 18,397 1453 1933 15,015 4000 1934 16,096 57 Causes of the Great Depression The most critical cause of the great depression in the USA was the reduction in spending or otherwise referred as the reduced aggregate demand; this resulted in decline in production since manufacturer noticed an anticipated rise in inventories. This was reflected in other countries due t o the factor of gold standard. Other factors that necessitated the great depression are: The stock market crash: the great depression is associated with the tight US monetary policy that targeted the limitation of stock market speculation; this was due to the mild recession that had been witnessed between 1924 and 1927 that had witnessed the massive rise in the stock prices in 1920 and reached the optimum in 1929 and as an immediate measure, the federal reserve had raised the interest rates in order to stop this spiraling stock prices and this largely affected the construction and the auto mobile industries. The fall in the stock prices in 1929 to extend that could not be justified by the anticipation rate resulted to the loss of investor confidence and subsequent bubble burst in the stock market.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This led to the panic selling on black ‘Thursday’ on October 24, 1929. The previous rise on stock prices had triggered a massive purchase of stock by the investors using loans and hence this price decline forced some investors to liquidate their holdings thus worsening the fall in prices. This crash in the stock market led to the considerable reduction in the consumer aggregate demand especially in the area of durable goods and investments and great fall in output. Banking panic and monetary contraction: this was experienced in the year 1930; banking panic occurs when â€Å"many depositors lose confidence in the solvency of banks and simultaneously demand their deposits be paid to them in cash† (Romer 8); this can lead to those banks that hold deposits as cash reserves to liquidate loans so that they be in position to pay the cash demands. This process of immediate liquidation can force any solvent bank to collapse. This continued till 1933 when President Frankli n Roosevelt proclaimed the ‘bank holiday’ in 1933 that involved the closing of all banks and could only re-open upon being considered solvent by the government inspectors. Economists largely associate this bank panic to the â€Å"increased farm debt in 1920† (Romer 8) and government policy that encouraged â€Å"small and undiversified banks† (Romer 8). The gold standard: economists largely associate the 1929-1933 great depression to the Federal Reserve; they accused the federal reserve of causing a big decline in the American money as a measure to preserve the gold standard. The gold standard implied that each country should fix the value of its currency based on the standard of gold. International lending and trade: the USA had expanded its foreign lending to Germany and the Latin America, this declined in the 1928 and 1929 due to the high interest rates and the flourishing stock market; â€Å"this reduction in foreign lending resulted in credit contract ion and the reduction in the output of borrower countries† (Romer 8). Economic impact of the Great War: when the first broke, no one expected that it would be of the magnitude witnessed; no one predicted the length of the war, the economic expenses of the war and the degree of destruction. The war caused a lot of infrastructural destruction, loss of lives and monetary value in the countries of Europe; this on the other hand precipitated a period of economic boom in the countries of Canada, USA and Latin America since the countries of Europe exhausted their gold reserves to borrow money, other countries also printed extra money. This war interrupted with patterns of domestic and international trade which preceded the economic depression. Sources of Recovery The two main ways of curbing the inflation were indentified as the currency devaluation and monetary expansion. Devaluation â€Å"allowed countries to expand their money supplies without concern about gold movements and exc hange rates† (Romer 8). Another way of curbing the crises was through the imposition of protectionism measure; this led to the launch of various tariffs, the 1988 US presidential seat was won through protectionist ticket. Economic Impact of Depression The depression influenced the US economy in a great way; some of them include the following: Human suffering: for the very short time of the depression, there was drastic increase in the output and the standard of living also a substantial fraction of the labor force could not find employment. Change on world economy: the great depression brought to the end the international gold standard era. Increased government involvement in the economy: after the depression, there was an increased government participation in the economy particularly in the financial market; evidence was the establishment of the Securities and Exchange Commission by the USA. Development of macro-economic policies: most of these policies were aimed at curbing the downturns and the upturns. Conclusion Depression is considered one of the worst macroeconomic aspects that can befall a country; the effects of economy are so devastating since its impact can be felt across the world. The US have experienced a lot five depressions of different magnitude and that has equipped it with experience on the various macroeconomic issues that are required to tame any further depression. The US has on the recent past experienced only recessions which are considered mild form of depression. It is worth mentioning that from the five economic depressions to have hit the US, all the possible remedies have been tried and applied, despite all the efforts it is not clear whether the business cycle that lead to depressions has been removed. Depression an also be considered a natural economic aspect that can be beyond government intervention. This is exemplified by the economic depression of 1907 and 1920 which was eliminated within a year without the government i ntervening. Edwards, Rebecca. The depression of 1893. Projects, 2000. Web. Foldvary, Fred. The Depression of 2008 2nd edition. The Gutenberg Press, 2008. Web. Romer, Christina. Encyclopedia Britannica. Berkeley, 2003. Web. Watkins, Thayer and Allay, Tornado. The depression of 1873-1879. University of San Jose State, 2011. Web.