Act I, scene iv occurs in the early evening on the streets of Verona and contains one of the most famous speeches in all of dramatic literature: Mercutio's Queen Mab speech.
As Romeo attempts to explain his apprehensions in attending the Capulet's party, Mercutio attempts to dismiss his dream and launches into the Queen Mab speech as a way of explaining where our dreams come from and the futility of trying to put much stock in them.
It is after the Queen Mab speech, however, that Romeo does share his premonition that their attendance at the Capulet's party will set into motion a chain of events that will lead ultimately to his own death. The audience is aware of the accuracy of this foreshadowing from the information we received in the Prologue. However, Romeo--in true Romeo form--ignores his own fears and better judgement and heads to the party anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment