After he is wounded in Act III of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio says, “A plague o’ both your houses! / They have made worms’ meat of me.” Which of these statements is the best paraphrase of Mercutio’s words?

Question

After he is wounded in Act III of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio says, “A plague o’ both your houses! / They have made worms’ meat of me.” Which of these statements is the best paraphrase of Mercutio’s words?
	A.	Curse both the Capulets and the Montagues. Their feud has killed me.
	B.	My wounds are like a plague spreading in people’s houses. They will kill me.
	C.	I am too weak to enter any of the houses. Tybalt and his friends have killed me.
	D.	The feud between the two families is like a plague whose germs are like fat worms.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The best paraphrase of Mercutio’s words is:

A. Curse both the Capulets and the Montagues. Their feud has killed me.

This captures the essence of Mercutio's curse on both families and his assertion that their ongoing feud is the reason for his death.