Mercutio and Tybalt
By Amelia Staats
For centuries the beloved plays of William Shakespeare have be adored by many people. There are many mysteries, secrets, and questions people have been wondering for years. In one of the most famous performances “Romeo and Juliet” the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt have been debated. Who started the fight, and who inflamed the fight? Who was ultimately responsible? Was it really fair that Romeo be banished? There are many different ways and views of looking at this tragedy, but overall there is in my opinion only one culprit.
The fight between the two began like any other fight, between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. It started as just a small argument, but soon Tybalt pushed Mercutio to a point where he couldn’t control his outrage. When they began to fight, Mercutio was stabbed and died very slowly. At this point Romeo didn’t just grief over his friend; he wanted revenge against Tybalt, his wife’s cousin. He approached Tybalt from behind and they fought a very long, unpleasant fight. Tybalt was killed and Romeo responsible. The Capulet’s and the Montague’s were all called to the prince where a punishment would be decided. Romeo was the one standing over the Capulet’s body, and he was the one banished from the city.
I believe that overall Romeo was the cause of both Tybalt and Mercutio’s death. It was him that provoked Tybalt to say outrageous things to him. Standing up for Romeo, Mercutio was drawn into a fight against Tybalt and killed. He was also the one that later killed Tybalt as revenge, he should have just taken time to grieve over his lost friend. If he would have not killed Tybalt he would not have been held responsible. Romeo brought his banishment on himself and was the main cause of Mercutio and Tybalt’s death.