Read the dialogue from act ii, scene iv of romeo and juliet. romeo: thou wast never with me for anything when thou wast not here for the goose. mercutio: i will bite thee by the ear for that jest. romeo: nay, good goose, bite not. mercutio: thy wit is a very bitter sweeting; it is a most sharp sauce. romeo: and is it not then well served in to a sweet goose? which word from the conversation best the reader understand the mood of the scene? 1. “bitter,” because this is an angry conversation 2. “jest,” because this is a teasing conversation 3. “served,” because this is a loving conversation 4. “bite,” because this is a frightening conversation

The answer is 2: Jest, because this is a teasing conversation.

Mercutio, Romeo´s closest friend —and one of the main characters of the play, inasmuch as it is through him that Romeo meets Juliet and later, in another scene, after his death, what forces Romeo´s tragic banishment from Verona— is presented as a witty and merry character who has a marked sense of humor, sometimes so acute that it becomes harsh. In the passage quoted, one can see the form of Mercutio´s and Romeo´s exchanges and how they would jest and tease each other to set up scenes to carry on with humor and diverse puns (like in this case, the figure of the goose). The mood of the scene is definitely that of jest.

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