Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Department
English
First Advisor
L. Monique Pittman
Abstract
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1595/96) depicts the forbidden love of two young individuals -- Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Though many focus on the hardships they endure, a relationship briefly touched on is that of Romeo and his best friend, Mercutio. Mercutio is a very unique character to the play, constantly speaking against Romeo's actions of love and flamboyantly expressing his own opinions on the matter, bringing some scholars to suspect an underlying theme of homoeroticism. However, the tradition of male friendship in the Renaissance, partnered with Gale Edwards' theatrical production, provide the framework for interpreting their relationship to be heteronormative.
Recommended Citation
Bacchiocchi, Christian, "Mercutio and Romeo: an Analysis of Male Friendship in the Renaissance" (2013). Honors Theses. 64.
https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/honors/64/
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/honors/64
Subject Area
Mercutio (Fictitious character), Romeo (Fictitious character)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/honors/64/