Tybalt

English Lit: AQA GCSE Romeo & Juliet, topic 6.2.7

Key Quotes - Tybalt

Here are key quotes from Tybalt in the play:

'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.
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.

'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. He may think of them as less-than-human or evil.

'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.