However Mercutio (his best friend) and Tybalt see this not as an act triggered by an unlikely love, but as weakness. They (unaware that Romeo is married to Juliet) think that Romeo is displaying embarrassing levels of feeble behaviour and that he is opposing the ‘honour code’ of the time. At the time of the composure of the play (sixteenth to seventeenth century) and its settings (Verona in Italy) men were expected to fight for their honour (to the death sometimes). If a man was insulted, abused or angered by another man, the former was expected to challenge the later to a physical duel and the later was supposed to accept. Romeo breaks this code of honour and allows Tybalt to insult him by calling him “villain” and “boy”. Even though Tybalt is treating him as an underling and Mercutio thinks that he is afraid, Romeo stands up and refuses the fight with the words “be satisfied”.
When Romeo refuses to defend his honour, Mercutio steps in and fights Tybalt for him. Romeo tries to cause the duel to cease by stepping between them and saying “the prince expressly hath Forbidden bandying in Verona streets” (tries to make them think of the consequences and heavy retribution that they will be subjected to should the prince find out about their duel). However, Mercutio (off guard and listening to Romeo) is stabbed by Tybalt (alert and ready to seize any moment to fell Mercutio) under Romeo’s arm. Tybalt flies and leaves Mercutio to die. Romeo witnesses the fatal blow and watches as Mercutio is carried away by Benvolio. This stirs up an immense vengeful ire inside Romeo and he says “my very friend, hath got his mortal hurt In my behalf; my reputation stain’d with Tybalt’s slander, Tybalt that an hour Hath been my kinsman. O sweet Juliet! Thy beauty hath made me effeminate, And in my temper softn’d valour’s steel!”
This means that he thinks that it is his fault that Mercutio was slain, and that, even though he was then his relative by marriage, he should have killed Tybalt because Tybalt then tainted his reputation, despoiled his conscience and murdered his best friend. It also makes him think that being with Juliet has made him go ‘soft’, and that Mercutio’s life was the price for this.
When Tybalt returns, Romeo is in a furious, vengeful rage. They fight each other. Romeo fights for his honour and for revenge, we know this because he says “take the ‘villain’ back again That late thou gavest me. For Mercutio’s soul Is but a little way above our heads, staying for thine to keep him company.”, Whereas Tybalt fights over a small personal issue (Romeo gate crashing his families party). They both intend to kill, this is clear from Romeo’s “Either thou or I, or both, must go with him.” And from Tybalt’s “Thou wretched boy, that didst consort him here, Shalt with him hence.”
Romeo slays Tybalt in a rage induced by vengeance and his own reception of offense. Tybalt insulted Romeo many times by calling him “boy” and “villain”, but the main driving force behind Romeo’s fury to kill Tybalt was Mercutio’s death (brought about by Tybalt).
Despite the ‘honour code’ of the time and the want to avenge the death of his friend, I do not believe that Romeo should have killed Tybalt. Firstly, I believe that it is wrong to murder someone and cause the family of the slain person to be inflicted with such vast levels of grief that always come from a death. Secondly, Romeo was married to Juliet (this makes Tybalt his relative) and is therefore going to cause her emotional distress. From then on Romeo would bear the weight of murdering his own relative upon his conscience. It is also (because of his actions) his own fault that he is banished and as a result loses Juliet.
After slaying Tybalt, Romeo realizes that he has done wrong and shows his regret by yelling “O! I am Fortune’s fool!” By doing this he is maintaining Shakespeare’s controlling theme of fate and showing that he is not responsible for his own actions. He feels that he is a mannequin being played by the cruel puppeteer, Fate. Fate is toying with Romeo and using him as his “fool” for his own amusement, firstly he makes Romeo feel happy and brings about an unlikely, wonderful love and then he causes all the happiness to be replaced by tormenting distress at the pull of a string.
