Sage Advice From the World of Shakespeare
(picture obtained from http://mimiandeunice.com/category/advice/)
1. Advice from "Advice from 400 Years Ago", that should have been followed by Mercutio, Tybalt, and Romeo
-"he is a slave which is inthralled into his owne anger"
-"Parents would instruct their children to quiet meekness, and to abstaine from quarrels, and quarrelling company"
-"And if through anger one chance to say, thou liest; or touch his cheeke with the backe of his hands; this is taken in such scorne, that there is no way of pacification or reconciliation, but by the sacrifice of death, either one or both must die, or at the least they hazard their lives in a wicked combate."
-"if our gentlemen would consider when they ought to fight, what indeed belongeth to their honour, and what a lamentable issue commeth of such rash, venturous and beastly fighting, there would not be one of five hundred to mourne for the casting away of their sonne, or of their friend."
-"when an equall life doth make them discerne and believe, this is is not the cowardlinesse."
2. This advice is very appropriate to the characters. If Mercutio's parents had taught him to abstain from quarreling, he may have lived. If Romeo had not given in to his own anger, he may not have been banished. If Tybalt had decided not to start a fight, he may not have died. All three of the characters may have had different stories if they had listened to this extremely valuable advice.
3. I think that the most important piece of advice is, "if our gentlemen would consider when they ought to fight, what indeed belongeth to their honour, and what a lamentable issue commeth of such rash, venturous and beastly fighting, there would not be one of five hundred to mourne for the casting away of their sonne, or of their friend." If all three of the men had listened to this, then the whole tale of Romeo and Juliet could have been turned upside down.
4. None of this advice seems irrelevant or old-fashioned to today's young men. If men would abstain from fighting, consider the consequences of their actions, not give in to their anger, and if their parents taught them to stay away from people who like to start fights, then the young men of today would look very different from what some of them look like now.
Letters to Mercutio and Tybalt's parents-
To the parents of Mercutio;
Dearest Sir and Madam,
It is with greatest regret that I write to you. Being kinsmen of the Prince, I would have expected you to raise your son Mercutio in a much better way than you have. Mercutio is a foolish young man. He often speaks of nonsense, and is extremely quick to become angry and gets into quarrels often. He does not show much respect to others, and has angered me greatly. Therefore, I have written to both of you so that I might provide some kind of advice to you so that you may better instruct your son. First, please teach him to abstain from fighting, and to stay away from those who often do. Also tell the dear youth to consider the consequences of his actions. Such rashness and vicious fighting will only lead him to destruction. Teach Mercutio to respect others, and to be slow to anger. If your boy can learn these things, he will surely prosper and live a long joyful life. I love him as one does a son, and I do not want to see his days cut short.
Sincerely,
Someone who cares
Dear Tybalt's parents,
To keep your son under better control you could first start out by taking away his sword until he can control himself better. You can also teach him to not react on his first impulse. You could say something that would make him angry and see his reaction to it. First though you should take away all of his weapons so he could not hurt you. You could probably take him to an anger management class too. There he would learn to control his anger. He could get himself killed or kill someone else if he cannot control his anger.
Sincerely,
A very concerned person.
To the parents of Mercutio,
Your son is a troublesome and mischievous delinquent especially in Verona's streets. It is of vital importance that he learn self control and how to compose himself in situations where he is tempted to commence a brawl.
Mercutio could benefit from a lack of a sword in his belt and a separation from those who provoke him (namely Tybalt and company). I suggest he spend time with Friar Lawrence, an appropriate role model for your young Mercutio. I do believe the friar will encourage him to see reason. Mercutio does have a wonderfully colorful sense of humor which hopefully will aid him in embarking on a new path of conciliation.
Sincerely,
A fellow Verona Citizen
Dear Parents of Tybalt,
I have some advice for you that may be helpful for you in the future. I feel your son has some anger issues that need to be addressed. Perhaps you should sit down and talk to him about why he feels this way. All in all you need to talk to him about his feelings. You should also take away all of his weaponry until he learns how to control his anger. This may never happen so proceed cautiously. He may end up harming someone else, yourselves, or even himself. I hope you take this advice and I hope it helps.
Sincerly,
Anonymous
1. Advice from "Advice from 400 Years Ago", that should have been followed by Mercutio, Tybalt, and Romeo
-"he is a slave which is inthralled into his owne anger"
-"Parents would instruct their children to quiet meekness, and to abstaine from quarrels, and quarrelling company"
-"And if through anger one chance to say, thou liest; or touch his cheeke with the backe of his hands; this is taken in such scorne, that there is no way of pacification or reconciliation, but by the sacrifice of death, either one or both must die, or at the least they hazard their lives in a wicked combate."
-"if our gentlemen would consider when they ought to fight, what indeed belongeth to their honour, and what a lamentable issue commeth of such rash, venturous and beastly fighting, there would not be one of five hundred to mourne for the casting away of their sonne, or of their friend."
-"when an equall life doth make them discerne and believe, this is is not the cowardlinesse."
2. This advice is very appropriate to the characters. If Mercutio's parents had taught him to abstain from quarreling, he may have lived. If Romeo had not given in to his own anger, he may not have been banished. If Tybalt had decided not to start a fight, he may not have died. All three of the characters may have had different stories if they had listened to this extremely valuable advice.
3. I think that the most important piece of advice is, "if our gentlemen would consider when they ought to fight, what indeed belongeth to their honour, and what a lamentable issue commeth of such rash, venturous and beastly fighting, there would not be one of five hundred to mourne for the casting away of their sonne, or of their friend." If all three of the men had listened to this, then the whole tale of Romeo and Juliet could have been turned upside down.
4. None of this advice seems irrelevant or old-fashioned to today's young men. If men would abstain from fighting, consider the consequences of their actions, not give in to their anger, and if their parents taught them to stay away from people who like to start fights, then the young men of today would look very different from what some of them look like now.
Letters to Mercutio and Tybalt's parents-
To the parents of Mercutio;
Dearest Sir and Madam,
It is with greatest regret that I write to you. Being kinsmen of the Prince, I would have expected you to raise your son Mercutio in a much better way than you have. Mercutio is a foolish young man. He often speaks of nonsense, and is extremely quick to become angry and gets into quarrels often. He does not show much respect to others, and has angered me greatly. Therefore, I have written to both of you so that I might provide some kind of advice to you so that you may better instruct your son. First, please teach him to abstain from fighting, and to stay away from those who often do. Also tell the dear youth to consider the consequences of his actions. Such rashness and vicious fighting will only lead him to destruction. Teach Mercutio to respect others, and to be slow to anger. If your boy can learn these things, he will surely prosper and live a long joyful life. I love him as one does a son, and I do not want to see his days cut short.
Sincerely,
Someone who cares
Dear Tybalt's parents,
To keep your son under better control you could first start out by taking away his sword until he can control himself better. You can also teach him to not react on his first impulse. You could say something that would make him angry and see his reaction to it. First though you should take away all of his weapons so he could not hurt you. You could probably take him to an anger management class too. There he would learn to control his anger. He could get himself killed or kill someone else if he cannot control his anger.
Sincerely,
A very concerned person.
To the parents of Mercutio,
Your son is a troublesome and mischievous delinquent especially in Verona's streets. It is of vital importance that he learn self control and how to compose himself in situations where he is tempted to commence a brawl.
Mercutio could benefit from a lack of a sword in his belt and a separation from those who provoke him (namely Tybalt and company). I suggest he spend time with Friar Lawrence, an appropriate role model for your young Mercutio. I do believe the friar will encourage him to see reason. Mercutio does have a wonderfully colorful sense of humor which hopefully will aid him in embarking on a new path of conciliation.
Sincerely,
A fellow Verona Citizen
Dear Parents of Tybalt,
I have some advice for you that may be helpful for you in the future. I feel your son has some anger issues that need to be addressed. Perhaps you should sit down and talk to him about why he feels this way. All in all you need to talk to him about his feelings. You should also take away all of his weaponry until he learns how to control his anger. This may never happen so proceed cautiously. He may end up harming someone else, yourselves, or even himself. I hope you take this advice and I hope it helps.
Sincerly,
Anonymous