It's not that Shakespeare's young men stand out amongst his other characters (His other characters are awesome too, look at Lady Macbeth or Lear). It's that they stand out amongst other young men. In Romeo and Juliet I was so captivated by the way his youths talk. I don't know, they really radiate that youthful quality. And there's always so much passion (Hai there, Edmund the Bastard). That's why I love Zeffirelli's R+J (hehe, I sort of did XD) because the characters are actually played by teens, and they're so good at it! And Mercutio is the prime example. The way he talks, full of those metaphors and a sort of underlying cynicism (His queen Mab speech) and his outgoingness. It's amazing how a playwright from the 16th century can write such enduring characters. These characters still work (I remember, I could do Romeo's angry tirade after Mercutio died by heart: "And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!" )

Haha, like I told deeplyunhip, I might dig up the CD, it was pretty epic for a 70 year old English teacher. :D