Read the excerpt from Act II, scene iv of Romeo and Juliet.Benvolio: Here comes Romeo, here comes Romeo.20Mercutio: 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 gipsy; Helen and Hero hildings and harlots; Thisbe, a grey eye or so, but not to the purpose. Signior Romeo, bon jour! there’s 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?Mercutio: The slip, sir, the slip; can you not conceive?
Answer
A
by explaining romantic figures from history
B
by speaking in different languages
C
by refusing to treat Romeo’s romance seriously
D
by complaining about his own love interest
Explanation
Mercutio jokes that Romeo is “fishified” and mocks the romantic poetry Romeo may now use, saying famous lovers such as Dido and Cleopatra are inferior comparisons. He also teases Romeo about having given them “the slip” the previous night. These jokes show that Mercutio is not treating Romeo’s romance seriously, so the correct choice is C, “by refusing to treat Romeo’s romance seriously.”
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