Romeo & Juliet: A Eulogy to Mercutio

Today I take on the realm of Shakespearean plays though the classic that is Romeo & Juliet. By immersing into the city of Verona this creative piece is written to eulogise Mercutio through the voice of Romeo, expressing through modern day language.

                                  

Senators, noblemen and citizens of our fair city of Verona. Yesterday I, Romeo Montague witnessed the death of one of Verona’s finest citizens, someone that I was proud to call a true friend. Sadly as we are gathered here today in this house of God, it is my solemn duty to pay tribute to Mercutio Monlet. 

Let me ask this of you; let this day not be a sad or sorrowful day, for Mercutio would not have wished it so. 

Instead, let this day be the one on which we pay out final respects to and celebrate the blessed life of one of our own. Mercutio was known to us all as someone with a great sense of humour. Throughout this fair city he was known as the one who could lighten up the mood or turn a room’s attention on him by making a humorous remark. Even on his death bed he managed to make light of the situation saying; “ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man”. Perhaps that he might spare his friends some grief over his passing from this earthly realm. 

Of course there are those who might have said that he was selfish, always wanting to be the centre of attention. But to Mercutio the humour and desire to bring joy and laughter to those around him came naturally and was not malicious. I well recall him recounting the story of Queen Mab. His vivid imagination and clever mind made the story all the more enjoyable. Hearing this reminded me of when we were younger, when we used to run around creating our own fun, with Mercutio always up for a challenge. Not only did Mercutio play with us, but he was looked to as a leader and as someone to turn to for advice. 

As we grew, we often sought him out for advice on things like romance because his advice was sound and sure. When I was rejected by the fair Rosaline, he was there for me, drawing me out of my depression, and encouraging me to move on. Without these words I may have never met my true love Juliet, so to for this reason I owe a debt of gratitude to Mercutio. There is no doubt that Mercutio was a true and loyal friend. He was always able to pick you up when you were down and get you into a good and joyful mood. 

As you got to know Mercutio better your friendship would only grow stronger, this is why he had many friends and very few enemies. It was his strong sense of loyalty which drew many close to him, which is why so many are mourning his death. The loyalty that he showed to so many came from the fact that he was a genuine blue-blooded aristocrat. Being kinsman to Escalus, prince of Verona. It was this loyalty, however, along with his courageous personality, which brought his short but very valued life to an end.    

I would like to end by thanking Mercutio for what he did for us during his short time on this Earth. He gave us the opportunity through his, humour, loyalty, leadership and courageousness to call him a true friend. And I am sure that many other friends and family members alike would say the same. This man, Mercutio will never be forgotten.      

~ Thanks for Reading ~

Check out my other posts: @benzene
Support: @omniloquent