The Only Use of
mercurial
in
Death of a Salesman
- Most often jovial, she has developed an iron repression of her exceptions to WILLY'S behavior—she more than loves him, she admires him, as though his mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties, served her only as sharp reminders of the turbulent longings within him, longings which she shares but lacks the temperament to utter and follow to their end.†
Act 1
Definitions:
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(1)
(mercurial as in: mercurial twists of temperament) tending to change quickly, frequently, and unpredictably
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(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, mercurial can mean "related to mercury," as in "a mercurial thermometer." When capitalized, Mercurial refers to the planet Mercury or to the mythological Roman god.