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Summary A comparison between Mercutio and Tybalt
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This point-by-point method essay covers 3 contrasts between Mercutio and Tybalt from William Shakespeare´s Romeo and Juliet
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Comparison between Tybalt and MercutioBy Julian Skaar
Tybalt and Mercutio are two characters in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Tybalt belongs to the Capulet family and is Juliet´s cousin. Mercutio belongs to the
Montegue faction and is Romeo´s best friend. I think that Mercutio is a very nice and
noble man whilst I think that Tybalt is cruel and ill-tempered. To compare them I will
look at their contrasting personalities, speech, and behavior.
Possibly the most significant difference between Tybalt and Mercutio is their
personality. Mercutio is loyal, a good friend, and funny. Tybalt on the other hand is
ill-tempered, bitter, and generally hateful toward the Montagues. In act 1 scene 4
Mercutio has a little fun teasing Romeo in his famous queen mab speech, however, it
is just banter between two good friends, specifically, he says “You are a lover. Borrow
Cupid’s wings and soar with them above a common bound” which is teasing Romeo
for his crush on Rosaline. In act 3 scene 1 Mercutio backs up Romeo when they
encounter Tybalt proving their friendship and loyalty to each other. And even when
he's confronted by Tybalt he makes jokes and teases Tybalt by saying “Good king of
cats, nothing but one of your nine lives, that I mean to make bold withal, and, as you
shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the eight. Will you pluck your sword out of
his pilcher by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out.” When
Mercutio is stabbed he brushes it off with “Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch. Marry, ’tis
enough. Where is my page? Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.” Tybalt is a whole other
story, the first thing he says about Romeo in act 1 scene 5 “'Tis he, that villain
Romeo.” and “It fits, when such a villain is a guest: I´ll not endure him.” this shows
that he hates and is bitter towards the Montegue family already in his first couple of
sentences. When he is talking with Mercutio and Romeo in Act 3 scene 1 he says
“Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me; therefore turn and
draw.” Directly challenging Romeo to a duel only because he is a Montague and
because he crashed the Capulet party in Act 1 which is an extreme thing to do for only
crashing a party and having the name Montague. This is very different from Mercutio
because Tybalt just wants to kill Romeo because he sneaked into the Capulet party
whilst Mercutio wants to defend Romeo and not kill Tybalt.
Tybalt and Mercutio´s speech patterns are very different, Mercutio speaks informally
to everyone including Tybalt. Meanwhile, Tybalt carries himself proud by speaking in
a tone fitting his noble status. In act 1 scene 4 when Mercutio is first introduced he
walks with Romeo and Benvolio towards the Capulet party, he speaks to Romeo and
Benvolio informally due to them being good friends and he cracks jokes about
Romeo's love for Rosaline saying “And, to sink in it, should you burden love; too
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