Read the excerpt from Act III, scene i of Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio: Thou! why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair m
ore or a hair less in his beard than thou hast. Thou wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes. What eye, but such an eye, would spy out such a quarrel? Thy head is as full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as an egg for quarrelling. Thou hast quarrelled with a man for coughing in the street, because he hath wakened thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun. Didst thou not fall out with a tailor for wearing his new doublet before Easter? with another, for tying his new shoes with old riband? and yet thou wilt tutor me from quarrelling! Benvolio: An I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man should buy the fee-simple of my life for an hour and a quarter. Mercutio: The fee-simple! O simple! Benvolio: By my head, here come the Capulets. Why does Shakespeare include this comic speech by Mercutio? to explain Benvolio’s strange behavior to question the established laws of Verona to mock the reasons for quarrels and feuds to illustrate the close friendship between the men
In his speech Mercutio gives a list of reasons that Benvolio would quarrel with another: the number of hairs in his beard, the way he cracks nuts, the color of his eyes, coughing, waking a dog, wearing new clothes, etc. This is ridiculous because Benvolio is a peacemaker not a fighter. The Capulets arriving at the end of the conversation is fitting because Tybalt is looking to fight Romeo for showing up to the ball. Throughout the play, Shakespeare adds his own social commentary through his characters and their actions.
Mercutio and Benvolio are the opposite like night and day. Benvolio is peace seeking and gentle, whereas Mercutio will fight and yell and duel until the day he dies (literally) Mercutio is mocking the reasons for quarrels towards Benvolio and it is humorous because it is the exact opposite of Benvolio's nature to do what Mercutio accuses him of. This, in a way, illustrates the close friendship between the two men.
