Mercutio, the witty skeptic, is a foil for Romeo, the young Petrarchan lover. Mercutio mocks Romeo's vision of love and the poetic devices he uses to express his emotions.
Mercutio, with his ice-cold hand, the lion among maidens, chooses above all things a defiant liberty of speech, gaily at war with the proprieties, an airy freedom of fancy, a careless and masterful courage in dealing with life, as though it were a matter of slight importance.
In almost every performance, Mercutio steals the show. Audiences love him – he's dirty and funny and out of control.