The Significance of Tybalt’s Role in the Play Romeo and Juliet

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The Significance of Tybalt’s Role in the Play Romeo and Juliet

In this essay, I will be discussing the role of Tybalt in Shakespeare

play Romeo and Juliet

to see whether he is a catalyst for tragedy. I intend to look at the

significance of Tybalt's

involvement in the events leading up to the suicides of the star

crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet.

By looking at this, I will be able to answer the final part of my

question of whether Tybalt is a

catalyst for tragedy. A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a

chemical reaction, in the case the

substance is Tybalt and the reaction is the tragedy. On its own the

catalyst couldn’t cause all the

tragedy in the play but without it there would be no tragedy and no

story. A tragedy in a play or

film should include the progression to happiness to the downfall of

someone, where they express

all there sentiment and fears. This is relevant to the play of Romeo

and Juliet as when Romeo

kills Tybalt he realises his downfall and expresses his emotions and

fears.

Tybalt's entrance in the play gives the audience a clear and lasting

impression this is shown below

In his opening lines.

“ What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?

Turn thee Benvolio, look upon my death” Act 1 Scene 1 lines57,

58.

Tybalt after only moments of entering the scene he mocks Benvolio for

trying to stop the

fight referring to him as a female dear on the pun or ‘hart’.

Immediately we see that he is a

petulant character and is contemptuous toward Benvolio when he says:

“ What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word

As I hate he...

... middle of paper ...

...ders.

He lack of respect lead to his death as his was unable to keep the

piece and resist temptation to

seek his revenge.

Although it nice to be proud of your family Tybalt took it too far and

in my opinion he is

a catalyst for tragedy but like earlier when I highlighted in Act3

Scene1 that it was not just Tybalt

who caused the death of Mercutio I believe the death for the two star

crossed lovers was helped

along by the following character Romeo as he killed Tybalt which lead

to him commenting

suicide., Juliet for not telling her farther of her marriage to Romeo

and also Mercutio who

provoked Tybalt but these three character should not take the main

fault as there parts were

minor compared to that of Tybalt the catalyst for tragedy in

Shakespeare play of Romeo and

Juliet.

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