The Characters Of Tybalt In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is a tragic play set in Verona, Italy that follows the story of a large feud between two very powerful families. In Act 3 Scene 1, a fight, witnessed most prominently by Romeo, breaks out between Mercutio and Tybalt. All three characters, each affected by events in their personal lives, display both different behaviours and unique personality traits in this scene leading to an interesting, yet fatal, interaction between them. In this scene the two fighters behaviour is impetuous and reckless as they engage in violent swordplay while Romeo contrasts them by being passive and calm in his actions. However, Tybalt, unlike Mercutio, is simply a dishonourable person and therefore enjoys provoking Mercutio into a fight. Mercutio is portrayed to have an arrogant and dramatic personality in this scene whereas both the personalities of both Romeo and Tybalt are quieter. The aspect of their …show more content…
In his behaviour Romeo is calm and passive whereas his friend, Mercutio, is reckless and daring. As well as being similar to Mercutio, Tybalt is dishonourable and cruel in his actions. In personality Romeo comes across as almost desperate in his attempts not to ruin his name and therefore be unable to join the two families. Opposite of Romeo, Tybalt seems to have nothing to loose since he has no personal ties that come up in this scene but after the fight he scars his reputation as a brave villain by fleeing the scene of his crime. Unlike the other two, who seem more rash in their decisions, Mercutio is characterized as arrogant and dramatic without reason. With their differences in behaviour and personality, the three Italians meet on the streets of Verona and, through their actions, they each play a role in characterizing the others, while battling to a tragic