"Mercutio- O calm, dishonourable, vile
submission! / 'Alla stoccato' carries it away.
/ Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?
Tybalt- What wouldst thou have with me?
Mercutio- Good king of cats, nothing but
one of your nine lives."
Mercutio is horrified that
Romeo acted kind
towards Tybalt and
refused to fight him.
Romeo's reaction towards Tybalt
causes Mercutio to want to fight
Tybalt.
Tybalt is reluctant to fight
Mercutio, however
Mercutio insists
"Romeo- the prince expressly hath / Forbid this
bandying in Verona streets. / Hold Tybalt! Good Mercutio!
Mercutio- I am hurt / A plague a' both houses!'
Romeo and Benvolio try to
stop the fighting.
Romeo steps between them which allows
Tybalt the opportunity to stab Mercutio.
Tybalt quickly
flees from the
scene.
Mercutio curses both the Capulet
and Montague houses for causing
his death.
Foreshadows how the play will end in
tragedy for both houses.
"Romeo- Tybalt, take the 'villain' back again / ...for Mercutio's
soul / Is but a little way above our heads, / ...Either thou or I,
or both, must go with him"
Romeo is furious and so decides to fight Tybalt.
"Romeo- O, I am fortune's fool"
Romeo slays Tybalt.
His irresponsibility is shown
as he blames fate for his
actions.
"Prince- And for that offence / Immediately
we do exile him hence."
The Prince stays true to his earlier words
from Act 1 "If ever you disturb our streets
again / Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the
peace"
Romeo took the law into
his own hands and he has
now to be sentenced to
death.