We reviewed the function of the foil and discussed Romeo and Mercutio as contrasting characters with conflicting values.We then explored thematically why as a dramatist Shakespeare necessarily must "kill " Mercutio so that Romeo's romantic love triumphs over pure physical desire. I then explained how tragedies resolve conflicts through death while the comedies resolve conflicts with a harmonious end. We then listened to an audio version of the final scenes of Act II and the beginning of Act III wherein Mercutio is slain by Tybalt.