why is queen mab important in romeo and juliet

Queen Mab does not have a dramatic role in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, which could have functioned perfectly effectively without Mercutio

’s speech, but it serves to underline Romeo’s immaturity in the context of relationships– a typical characteristic in a teenage boy.

Full Answer

Why does Mercutio tell Romeo about Queen Mab?

Why does Mercutio tell Romeo about her? Queen Mab is a fairy that who gives dreams and brings to life their fantasies. She's no bigger than a gemstone on the index finger of an alderman. Mercutio tells Romeo about her to show that dreams are meaningless and have no actual impact on anything.

What was Mercutio Queen Mab speech about?

Queen Mab appears in jest through Mercutio's speech as he replies to Romeo's statement that he believes in dreams. Mercutio's speech portrays Queen Mab as a fairy who makes people see dreams that suit their deepest desires, inducing love, lust, money, power, and violence.

Who is the Fairy Queen in Romeo and Juliet?

Queen Mab is a fairy referred to in William Shakespeare 's play Romeo and Juliet, where "she is the fairies' midwife". Later she appears in other poetry and literature, and in various guises in drama and cinema.

What are the best scenes in Romeo and Juliet?

Our core philosophy of “people helping people” was born from and has been sustained by our love. We all know Romeo and Juliet as a classic love story, the kind of “head over heels” love we often dream about and celebrate this month. Their passion ...

Why is Queen Mab significant?

The Queen Mab speech by no means deflates the great tragedy and romantic ideals of Romeo and Juliet , but it adds to them the subtext of a pun, that dark flipside that offers an alternative view of reality.

What does Queen Mab symbolize in Romeo and Juliet?

Queen Mab and her carriage do not merely symbolize the dreams of sleepers, they also symbolize the power of waking fantasies, daydreams, and desires.

Who gives the Queen Mab speech and why is it important?

Why does Mercutio tell Romeo about Queen Mab? Mercutio begins his long speech on Queen Mab to drive a sense of realism into his friend's thoughts, who feel dejected because of his unrequited love for Rosaline. The speech suggests Romeo considers dreams as mere illusions.

What does Queen Mab have to do with Romeo?

Queen Mab does not have a dramatic role in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, which could have functioned perfectly effectively without Mercutio's speech, but it serves to underline Romeo's immaturity in the context of relationships– a typical characteristic in a teenage boy.

What is Mercutio's Queen Mab speech?

Mercutio's Queen Mab speech is not only one of the most famous speeches in Shakespeare's classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet, but it is also one of the more famous speeches in all of his collected works. Let's start with some background. Mercutio is Romeo's best friend but is very different from the romantic, dreamy heartthrob who falls in love with Juliet at first sight. Mercutio's name could be derived from Mercury and is similar to the word mercurial, which according to Merriam-Webster means characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood. This is Mercutio to a T. He is volatile, moody, cynical, and has a sharp wit. His words are filled with puns, and his sharp tongue often stings, especially sweet Romeo. He mocks poor Romeo, and in turn, he mocks love. At times, he is the comic relief for a very tragic play.

What does Mercutio mock in Romeo and Juliet?

He mocks poor Romeo, and in turn, he mocks love. At times, he is the comic relief for a very tragic play. Mercutio's monologue occurs fairly early in the play (Act I, Scene IV, lines 57-109), before Romeo even falls for Juliet. At this point in the play, Romeo is still pining after another girl, Rosaline.

Why does Romeo claim that dreams are real?

Romeo claims that dreams can be real or true because they reflect reality, while Mercutio argues that they lie. His speech goes on to claim that they reflect the individual's desires and passions. For example, when Queen Mab visits lovers, they dream of love, lawyers dream of money, and courtiers dream of curtsies.

What did Mercutio say about love?

Mercutio's words remind the audience that love, like other desires, can be delusional and foolish, and like dreams, it can lie and eventually drag humanity down into the depths of despair. Learning Outcomes. This video on Queen Mab from Romeo & Juliet should help you to: Memorize Mercutio's famous speech.

What does the Queen Fairy teach her children?

In other words, she teaches them to 'bear' children or, one could argue, teaches them how to have sex. A sweet, imaginative fairy tale quickly turns to murder, war, and sex. This queen fairy becomes a bit of an evil nymph.

Is Romeo and Juliet a fairy tale?

Like Mercutio's fanciful fairy tale, the tale of 'Romeo and Juliet' also begins as an innocent love story - not to mention that Romeo and Juliet are practically children themselves .

Queen Mab in Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" portrays the pangs of a star-crossed couple for the first time on the sixteenth century Elizabethan stage. Centuries later, the trope of ill-fated love continues to be associated with this play.

Queen Mab Description

Mercutio's speech appears in Act 1, Scene 4 of the play when he learns that Romeo takes his dreams as the truth. They are about to gatecrash the party organized by the Capulets, and Mercutio and Benvolio attempt to soothe Romeo's heart bruised by love.

Mercutio's Queen Mab Speech

In Act 1 Scene 4, when Romeo says, "In bed asleep, while they do dream things true," Mercutio begins his Queen Mab speech:

Queen Mab Speech Analysis

Mercutio's speech is a reply to Romeo's blind faith in dreams. Critics opine that it is one of the most misinterpreted speeches written by Shakespeare. for many consider it a digression without contributing to the substance and theme of the plot. However, in his dramatic oeuvre, nothing is a coincidence or padding that fills in as interludes.

What is the meaning of Mercutio's description of Queen Mab?

Mercutio’s description of Queen Mab reveals that she is tiny and fragile and that her carriage is almost insubstantial as it is made of insect wings and spiders’ webs.

What does Mercutio describe Queen Mab's behavior?

Finally, Mercutio describes Queen Mab’s mean-spirited behavior , using ugly terms such as foul, sluttish, hag, and presses (forces). Romeo, seeing that Mercutio is upset, stops him and assures him that he speaks of nothing, a statement to which Mercutio agrees. Mercutio ends by saying that, in talking about Queen Mab and dreams—whether good ...

What does Mercutio tell the Queen Mab about her dreams?

In his words, Mercutio reveals some of the vices that men and women possess and that Queen Mab’s dreams do not always bring out the best in people.

What does Queen Mab fill people's heads with?

According to Mercutio, Queen Mab fills people’s heads with things they may desire, but these things are nothing but fantasies just the same. O’er ladies lips, who straight on kisses dream, Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues, Because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are.

What is Queen Mab's carriage made of?

Mercutio’s description of Queen Mab reveals that she is tiny and fragile and that her carriage is almost insubstantial as it is made of insect wings and spiders’ webs. Such a description suggests that the dreams Queen Mab creates in a sleeper’s mind are just as insubstantial and unreal.