Mercutio curses the Montagues as well as the Capulets because his death, in his mind, is the result of the feud between these families. Tybalt comes looking to challenge Romeo because he wants to fight the son of his family's great enemy to pay him back for attending their celebration uninvited the night before. When Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, saying that he "love[s] [Tybalt] better than [Tybalt] canst devise" (3.1.70). He says that he loves Tybalt, even though Tybalt cannot possibly understand why (it's because Romeo just married Tybalt's cousin, Juliet, in secret). Mercutio sees this as a "dishonorable, vile submission" and feels obligated to get involved and fight Tybalt in Romeo's stead (3.1.74). Therefore, if it were not for the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, Tybalt would never have come for Romeo, and Mercutio would not have felt the need to fight on his friend's behalf; Mercutio sees Romeo's behavior as cowardly and submissive, and so he blames his friend for his death, the result of that cowardice.
It's true that Romeo steps between Tybalt and Mercutio, attempting to stop the fight, but such an action would have been frowned upon at the time. Romeo basically distracts them and blocks their view of one another, making for a more dangerous situation. He has good intentions, of course, but Romeo created a situation that enabled Tybalt to strike when Mercutio was unprepared and distracted by his friend's interference.
No comments:
Post a Comment