Romeo and Juliet – Act 1, Scene 4 – Mercutio

Statement Shakespeare uses metaphors to express Mercutio’s thoughts on dreams, he is trying to portray the idea that dreams are just products of an idle brain, doing nothing. 

Example Mercutio refers to an idle brain giving birth to children, the children being the dreams produced by our own brains. “True, I talk of dreams, which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy”. 

Explanation This shows that Shakespeare is using metaphors to explain to Romeo from Mercutio’s point of view that dreams are nothing but a product of our imagination. 

 

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