How do Romeo and Juliet uphold and subvert other characters’ ideas about what it is to be a man or a woman—especially around sexuality?

Why might the death of Mercutio, who might at first seem like a figure of pure comic relief, be such an important turning point in the play?

Romeo and Juliet features a cavalcade of punny jokes. Why might the play use the wordplay it does? How does wordplay relate to the play’s themes?