Question

read the excerpt from act ii, scene iv of romeo and juliet
benvolio here comes romeo, here comes
romeo
mercutio without his roe, like a dried herring o
flesh, flesh, how art thou fishified! now is he for
the numbers that petrarch flowed in: laura to his
lady was but a kitchen-wench; marry, she had a
better love to be-rime her: dido a dowdy,
cleopatra a gypsy, helen and hero hildings and
harlots, thisbe, a grey eye or so, but not to the
purpose. signior romeo, bon jour! theres a
french salutation to your french slop. you gave
us the counterfeit fairly last night.
romeo good morrow to you both. what
counterfeit did i give you?
how does mercutio offer comic relief in this excerpt?
20
○ by explaining romantic figures from history
○ by speaking in different languages
○ by refusing to treat romeo’s romance seriously
○ by complaining about his own love interest

Explanation:

To determine how Mercutio offers comic relief, we analyze his dialogue. He mocks Romeo's romantic feelings by trivializing famous romantic figures (e.g., calling Laura a "kitchen - wench," Dido "dowdy") and not taking Romeo's romance seriously. Option A is incorrect as he mocks, not explains, romantic figures. Option B is wrong as he uses French phrases but not different languages. Option D is incorrect as he doesn't complain about his own love interest. So the correct option is the one about not treating Romeo’s romance seriously.

Answer:

C. by refusing to treat Romeo’s romance seriously