Romeo and Juliet Summary of Act II, Scene 1
by William Shakespeare

Summary

In the street outside the Capulet orchard, Benvolio and Mercutio are looking for Romeo, who has climbed the orchard wall to avoid them. Mercutio, still thinking Romeo is in love with Rosaline, continues to make fun of him for it.

Analysis

On Mercutio’s first appearance, he underlined the play’s theme that things are not always what they seem by giving the Queen Mab speech. Here, he becomes the butt of the joke: although he is making fun of Romeo for mooning over Rosaline, the audience knows that Romeo has completely forgotten about Rosaline in favor of his newfound love for Juliet.