“More than the prince of cats, I
can tell you. O, he’s the
courageous captain of
compliments. He fights as
you sing prick-song, keeps time,
distance and
proportion; his rests his minim
rests, one, two,
and the third in your bosom. The
very butcher of
a silk button, a duellist, a
duellist; a gentleman
of the very first house, of the
first and second
cause. Ah, the immortal passado!
The punto
reverso! The hay!” (Mercutio)
Romeo and Juliet Act II, scene iv, lines 19 -26
Mercutio’s
speech in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
is one which is well-known, especially by those who are familiar with the play.
For actors the role of Mercutio is a dream role due to the breadth of the
character and the passion which the character evokes. This short monologue is
one of the most striking and most famous of his sets of lines throughout the
play. This is a discussion of this particular speech and a possible different
point of view as to how it is has previously been portrayed.
The speech is
Mercutio addressing the subject of Tybalt in an attempt to explain to Benvolio
about him and the reason why Romeo would have no chance in a duel against him.
Most often this speech is portrayed by the actor playing Mercutio as sarcastic
remarks about Tybalt or joking about how skilled he is with his weapon. Often
this is because those who are reading the part of Mercutio do not understand
some of the language which is presented in this speech. Thus some explanation
of this will be given.
Tybalt the Swordsman
Having the
advantage of experience in Renaissance martial arts means that the jargon which
appears in this passage has the advantage of understanding what Mercutio is
talking about. Some of these are elementary to all forms of fencing.
The first three terms he uses,
time, distance and proportion are the foundation of fencing and indeed all
martial arts. Time refers to the use of actions and that every action takes a
certain amount of time, and also that each action may be performed in response
to the action of the opponent, after, at the same time or to intercept their
action. This relates to proportion which is another word for timing which means
performing an action at the appropriate time. Distance is ensuring that the
fencer is at the appropriate distance to both perform their own actions and to
receive those of the opponent.
The next set of terms are terms
for particular actions which were used in association with the use of the
sword, and in particular the rapier. The passado, or passata, was a passing step
which was sometimes accompanied by an attack, one foot passing the other
dramatically increasing the distance moved. The punto reverso, or punta
riversa, is a thrusting attack which for the right-hander originates on the
fencers right side and is directed against the opponent’s right side, usually
attacking the outside line of the opponent, thus moving around the opponent’s
weapon with the assistance of footwork, a large step to the right of the
opponent. The hay, or hai, is a direct thrust through the opponent, thus a
finishing blow.
For Tybalt to be trained to know
the foundation elements means that he is obviously trained, that he knows the
other skills means that he is also trained in an Italian system because they
are from the Italian school. This is significant, if one examines that
Shakespeare was writing for an English audience who would know that the
attention of an Italian fencing master would cost a lot.
Tybalt the Gentleman
With the fencing terminology
explained an examination of the other language is also useful to further
discuss the praise which Mercutio is heaping on to Tybalt. He calls Tybalt the “captain
of compliments” alluding to him being well-spoken, as the first thing that he
says about him. Later on in the speech he also states that he is a gentleman
who would not fight without a cause, “a gentleman of the very first house, of
the first and second cause.”
Mercutio then starts discussing
his fighting ability saying that he “fights as you prick-song”. Prick-song is
written music, so in other words he fights as easily as you sing and read music,
a skill any gentleman of the period should have. Mercutio then discusses the
tactical capabilities of Tybalt in the statement, “his rests his minim rests,
one, two, and the third in your bosom.” He states that he uses his skill that
he will set his opponent up and strike him with the third in the body. “The
very butcher of a silk button,” alludes to his accuracy, that he could take the
buttons off his opponent’s jacket.
A Deeper Discussion
With this deeper discussion and
explanation of the terms and ideas put forward by Mercutio in his speech, it is
clear that he is actually heaping praise on Tybalt. That he is called the “Prince
of Cats” could allude to his second position in the Capulet house and their
heraldry, and also his movement with a weapon, but such is supposition. What is
evident by what is presented here is that Mercutio is stating a lot of positive
things about Tybalt even though he really does not have to. More so, he is
discussing with Benvolio why Romeo should not duel with Tybalt, so it is likely
that Mercutio would be serious rather than joking or sarcastic.
The misinterpretation of Mercutio’s
speech demonstrates why as in all cases of previous texts, the elements of the
text need to be examined from the point of view of their origin rather than a
modern point of view when examining them. Otherwise impressions are imposed
upon the texts which are not present in the text and a deviant view of the text
is then presented, as can be seen by the multiple portrayals of Mercutio’s
speech as joking or sarcastic. Care needs to be taken so that the author’s
intent remains.
