In Romeo and Juliet was Mercutio gay. I think it's cool if he was?

Question

In both the book the play and the Claire Danes movie In Romeo and Juliet was Mercutio gay? I think it's cool if he was

Answer 1

The modern concept of homosexuality is a Victorian notion anway, so trying to apply it to a character who was created a full three centuries before Victoria's reign doesn't really work. So Mercutio isn't "gay". As far as the play text (as well as movie and stage productions) go, he's a friendly, charming young nobleman. He's affectionate with his friends because that's how young men like the character interacted with their friends at the end of the 16th century.

Answer 2

I think you can reasonably argue that Baz Lurhmann (director of the 1999 movie to which you're referring) IS making the choice that Mercutio is gay.

We see him dress in drag for the ball early in the movie (not necessarily a sign of homosexuality--but I think the other characters, particularly the very-Catholic Capulets, see it that way). Later, when Tybalt asks Mercutio if he "consortest" with Romeo (literally, "do you spend time with Romeo?"), I think he does it in such a way as to imply that Mercutio and Romeo are lovers. Certainly, Mercutio has a huge, angry reaction, which only makes sense if he feels Tybalt is accusing him of something very, very bad. (That, however, means you have to believe that *Mercutio* believes that being gay is very, very bad.)

Did Shakespeare intend that meaning? Possibly, but not necessarily. As an earlier poster mentioned, Elizabethans had very different views of sexuality. Sodomy wouldn't yet have been considered the horror it became in Victorian times. It was also considered an act rather than a lifestyle, so whether or not Tybalt was accusing Mercutio of sleeping with Romeo, it's doubtful that he was thinking of either character as "gay" in the way we think of it now.

Personally, I think Lurhmann made an interesting choice that resonates for his contemporary audience. It doesn't fight Shakespeare's text, so why not?

Answer 3

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In Romeo and Juliet was Mercutio gay. I think it's cool if he was?
In both the book the play and the Claire Danes movie In Romeo and Juliet was Mercutio gay? I think it's cool if he was

Answer 4

okay the people who answered this are kinda stupid they don't realize that homosexuality dates way back to the caveman days. mercutio told romeo that he found company in romeo better than he did in any women he knew. now that could be seen as homosexuality but it could also be seen as a high form of platonic friendship. both are sweet, it's really up to you to decide which one is true.

Answer 5

well in the movie Mercutio said to Juliet s cousin" a word and a blow strike me as gay. I have a gay twin.

Answer 6

Actually, people were gay even in Shakespeare time. In fact many people speculate that Shakespeare himself was gay because of his poem "Shall I compare thee to a summers day?" was intended for a man that he admired in a sexual manner. Perhaps he put these feelings into Mercutio as well.

Answer 7

Tosh is not gay, though he likes to do weird stuff on his show, most likely to keep people guessing in order to stay relevant. The comedy business can be short-lived unless you can find creative way to keep people interested. I seen perform at the Improv about 7 years ago before he has famous, and even then, there was nothing about him to set off a gaydar.

Answer 8

That would be a character choice made by an actor and director. There is nothing in the script that says he is or isn't.

Answer 9

NO. In the Renassance, men were not inhibited from expressing their affection for their friends as love. But the character is not gay, he is charming and fun and that's why his death spurs Romeo to kill Tybalt.