Tybalt

Tybalt - Hateful and Aggressive

Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin. He is a Capulet. As soon as he enters the play in Act 1, he comes across as a very angry and aggressive character.

Represents the strength of the feud

The first thing he does is tell Benvolio to 'look upon thy death'. He has no idea what started the fight in the street, but immediately threatens to murder Benvolio because he is a Montague.
Shakespeare used Tybalt (and the Montague and Capulet servants) at the start to show how deep the feud is between the two families. These characters try to kill each other based on what families they belong to.
Shakespeare emphasises Tybalt’s complete lack of compassion for the Montagues and his hatred for them when Benvolio asks for peace. Tybalt replies: 'What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee'.

Bloodthirsty

In A1 S5, Tybalt hears 'a Montague' at the party. He tells the servant to fetch his sword. He then says this rhyming couplet: 'Now, by the stock and honour of my kin / To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin'.
He thinks that murdering any Montague is justified (right) and isn’t a sin. He says this even though he doesn’t actually know which Montague he can hear.

Hatred of the Montagues

Throughout the play, Tybalt feels the most hatred for the Montagues.
- He sees Benvolio and wants to murder him.
- He hears a Montague voice and wants to kill the man speaking.
- He says he wants to fight Romeo because he was at the Capulet party.
- He tries to force Romeo to fight (even when Romeo refuses).
- He kills Mercutio (who fights him because he would not stop threatening and insulting Romeo).

Tybalt - Contrast to Romeo

Tybalt also provides a contrast to Romeo. Romeo is the loving, romantic man and Tybalt wants to kill anyone he doesn’t like.

Language

Romeo speaks in sonnets (fourteen line, lyric poems) and rhymes a lot. Both of these are traditional in love poetry.
Tybalt, on the other hand, only rhymes when he speaks of killing. This could suggest that the only love he feels is a love of revenge or murder.

Approach to fighting

At the start of Act 3, Tybalt contrasts to Romeo’s character.
Tybalt tries to get Romeo to fight by calling him 'a villain'. He tells him to 'turn and draw' his sword. But Romeo still refuses to fight him and asks him to stop.

Audiences' reactions

Audiences may actually feel sympathy for Romeo when he kills Tybalt. Tybalt refused to back down.
Audiences may think Tybalt caused Romeo to become aggressive. This aggression caused Tybalt’s death, Romeo’s banishment, and the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

Key Quotes - Tybalt

Here are key quotes from Tybalt in the play:

Act 1, Scene 1

'What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee'.
- Tybalt repeats the abstract noun 'peace'. He refers to it as just a 'word'. This suggests he is mocking Benvolio’s suggestion that they stop fighting. To him, 'peace' is meaningless and pointless.
- This immediately shows the audience that he enjoys fighting and killing.
- The repetition of the pronoun 'I' suggests that Tybalt only cares about how he feels. It also suggests that he is not thinking about the possible consequences of fighting.

Act 1, Scene 5

'Now, by the stock and honour of my kin / To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin'.
- Tybalt does not use rhyming couplets very much in the play. This suggests that he is not a loving character.
- Whenever Tybalt does use them, he is usually talking about killing other people. This could suggest that the only love Tybalt feels is the love of revenge and murder.
- Tybalt reinforces this when he says that he does not think it a sin to murder Montagues. This may suggest that he thinks of them as less-than-human or evil. He may think his role is to get rid of them.

Act 3, Scene 1

'thou art a villain!'
- Tybalt shouts this insult at Romeo.
- This phrase is meant to insult and anger Romeo because it suggests that he is dishonest and of a lower-class.
- During the Elizabethan era, honour was very important. So Tybalt uses this insult to try to make Romeo fight back.
- It actually causes Mercutio to leap in to defend his best friend. This ultimately causes Tybalt’s own death.

1Context

1.1Context

1.1.1Tragedy & Setting

1.1.2Relationships

1.1.3Religion & Fate

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Context

2Plot Summary

3Key Characters

3.1Romeo

3.1.1First Impressions & Juliet's Effect

3.1.2Character Development

3.1.3Reactions & Key Quotes

3.2Juliet

3.2.1First Impressions & Character Development

3.2.2Tragic Character

3.2.3Key Quotes

3.2.4End of Topic Test - Romeo & Juliet

3.3Mercutio

3.3.1Characterisation

3.3.2Key Quotes

3.4The Nurse, Benvolio & Tybalt

3.4.1The Nurse

3.4.2Benvolio

3.4.3Tybalt

3.5Friar Laurence

3.5.1Characterisation

3.5.2Key Quotes

3.5.3End of Topic Test- Mercutio, Nurse & Benvolio

3.5.4End of Topic Test - Tybalt & Friar Laurence

3.6Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.6.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.6.2Grade 9 - Key Characters: Extract Analysis

4Key Themes & Concepts

4.1Power & Danger of Love

4.1.1Romeo's Loves

4.1.2Friendship & Family

4.1.3Violent Love

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Love

4.2Violence, Fate & Gender

4.2.1Violence, Conflict & Suicide

4.2.2Exam-Style Questions - Violence & Death

4.2.3Fate & Destiny

4.2.4Gender

4.2.5End of Topic Test - Violence, Fate & Gender

4.2.6Grade 9 - Key Themes

5Writing Techniques

5.1Writing Techniques

5.1.1Language, Rhythm & Rhyme

5.1.2Symbolism & Imagery

5.1.3Dramatic Irony & Soliloquys

5.1.4End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

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