Character Analysis: Tybalt

Christopher De La Torre 5/15/15 P.6 Loyal, peacemaker, or even romantic can describe a character’s trait in the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. There are many characters in the play that their trait will differ from one another. Capulets can have a mean trait to the Montagues as well as the Montagues. One character in Romeo and Juliet differs from the rest by a lot. This character is called Tybalt. Tybalt is almost one of the main characters in the play until he gets killed by Romeo. For Tybalt, he may be hard on other characters because of his character traits of being aggressive, violent, and he is short-tempered.

To start out with, Tybalt can be aggressive at times when he either sees a Montague or when someone makes him mad. Tybalt will only start to be aggressive if he will start in a fight or if someone starts to annoy him. An example of Tybalt starting to turn aggressive to someone when he is about to fight is with Mercutio. Mercutio calls Tybalt names such as the Prince of

Cats, and Tybalt starts to get aggressive by challenging him into a duel. Tybalt says, “Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries/ That thou hast done me; therefore turn and draw” (Act III, i, 62-63).

Tybalt’s aggressiveness comes from his words when he says turn and draw meaning to draw your sword and lets fight. Being aggressive will cause fights or make fights and for Tybalt his aggressive trait grew enough for him to start a fight with Mercutio.

Furthermore, Tybalt can be violent in many ways. Violence is mainly hurting people, and this is what Tybalt will most likely do most of the time. Tybalt is violent towards people by either hurting them or killing him. He killed Mercutio in a duel which will automatically make him violent because he could do it again to someone else. In Act III scene i lines 56-86, Tybalt fights Character Analysis: Tybalt

Mercutio and vice versa, but then Romeo gets in the way of Mercutio and Tybalt thrusts

Mercutio with his sword. Tybalt returns and Romeo says, “Alive in triumph, and Mercutio slain?.../ Staying for thine to keep him company./ Either thou or I, or both, must go with him”

(Act III, scene i, lines 116-123) then Tybalt replies with, “Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here,/ Shalt with him hence” (III,i,124-125), this is what Romeo and Tybalt says to each other before they fight, and this makes Tybalt violent because he is picking on another fight that can either kill Romeo, or himself.

Even more, Tybalt has a short-temper that is easily triggered a Montague. Tybalt has a huge hate for the Montagues, and when he sees or even hears one, he will get full of anger and may be even ready to strike on the Montague foe. Tybalt’s short-tempered can be dangerous for other characters because he can get angry and start to draw his sword. In Act I, Capulet makes party for anyone who comes to it, and during that party a Montague (Romeo) is spotted by

Tybalt. Tybalt sees him and (his hate for all Montagues) triggers his short-temper. After seeing

Romeo, he says, “This, by his voice, should be a Montague. / Fetch me my rapier, boy. What!

Dares the salve/ Come hither, covered with an antic face…” (Act I, i, lines 53-58). Knowing that

Tybalt hates Montagues and his short-temper, it is easily noticeable that Tybalt will get angry quick if anyone or something happens to come across his way.

Tybalt being a character with the traits being aggressive, being violent, and having a short-temper is what makes this character different from the others. Tybalt is a mean character that never really experienced a different view on others by becoming someone else (being kind to others). Although, Tybalt can be loyal to certain people, he will never show much of a nice side Character Analysis: Tybalt to others. He will always be aggressive to others and will always hate Montagues. These traits are what make Tybalt a unique character in the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare.