Tybalt Is At Fault In Romeo And Juliet

In the duel between Tybalt and Romeo in Act III, scene i of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt is the most at fault for the tragic outcome because his impulsiveness and haste interfere with Romeo’s positive intents to unify the Montague and Capulet families. First, Tybalt’s hunger for prestige prompts him to initiate the duel between himself and Romeo, Tybalt calling Romeo “a villain” (III.i.62) prior to the duel. Romeo retaliates through subtly mentioning his amorous connection with Juliet; Tybalt argues that a Montague-Capulet union “shall not excuse the injuries/That thou [Romeo] hast done me [Tybalt]” (III.i.67-68). Here, Tybalt interferes with Romeo’s positive intent to “excuse the injuries” that Tybalt believes are Romeo’s fault. Tybalt’s only practical method of resolving the feud is to slay Romeo in a duel, which forces Romeo into desperation and puts Tybalt at fault.

Both Mercutio and Benvolio unsuccessfully attempt to convince the duelists to avoid resorting to violence to settle their rivalry. Tybalt’s aggression eliminates the chance of peace without violence. This results in Romeo killing Tybalt, who had killed Mercutio, causing Romeo to complain, “I am Fortune’s fool!” (III.i.142) Romeo’s complaint that he “is Fortune’s fool” indicates that Romeo believes that his luck has been damaged by fate, although it is actually affected by Tybalt’s aggressiveness. Shakespeare uses this to teach his audience that forcing glory can be permanently damaging and to enhance Tybalt’s