What purpose docs Mercutio's speech about Mab, Queen of the Fairies, serve in Romeo and Juliet?
1 Answer
Feb 25, 2016
It is mainly to a) make fun of Romeo and b) to serve as character development for Mercutio.
Explanation:
This speech is used to make fun of Romeo because Mercutio is mocking Romeo's way of using long-winded speeches to make a point, which is clear in the Balcony Scene later in the act. Since Romeo was about to begin with his "I had a dream tonight", Mercutio jumps the gun and begins to almost imitate him by taking on the voice of a dreamer, Romeo's voice.
This speech is character development for Mercutio because not only is it showing us that he is a care-free, light-hearted, mocking, and rude person, but it shows us that Mercutio has an odd sort of creativity.
To better understand how this scene would play out, I recommend watching this clip:
