Read the excerpt from act ii, scene iii of romeo and juliet.

benvolio: here comes romeo, here comes romeo.

20
mercutio: 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?

how does mercutio offer comic relief in this excerpt?

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