In the start of the scene Mercutio is joking around Tybalt while he is looking for Romeo when the two meet in the street this creates tension. Mercutio is trying to make a fool out of Tybalt by the way he speaks to him and trying to make him want to fight him by annoying him “… and thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but discords: here’s my fiddlestick, here’s that shall make you dance:’ zounds consort”.
Tybalt's behaviour and words add more tension because he keeps saying that he wants to speak to Romeo but Mercutio is not telling him where he is this makes Tybalt angrier which makes him say and act like he’s on a short nerve “ boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw”.
Romeo’s words and actions add tension because he is refusing to fight Tybalt which is making him mad which is also making Mercutio mad because he wants to fight and get rid of Tybalt, but Romeo is saying I wont fight him “I do protest I never injured thee…” “…And so good Capulet, which name I tender as dearly as mine own, be satisfied”. After Romeo says this Mercutio thinks that he is mad not to fight him and goes on to challenge Tybalt to a fight.
Just before the prince arrives Romeo kills Tybalt and Benvolio tells Romeo to go because when the prince gets there he’ll be killed so Romeo does.
When the prince gets there he asks who killed Tybalt, Benvolio tells him it was Romeo but then he tells him that Romeo killed Tybalt because Tybalt killed Mercutio and he was in anger with Tybalt. The prince doesn’t go after Romeo to kill him but declares him banished from the town this is because Mercutio is a relative of the prince and I think part of the prince could see why Romeo killed Tybalt. Also when the prince says “Benvolio, who began this bloody fray?” Benvolio lies and says it was Tybalt who started it all off but it was really Mercutio, this I think is to protect Romeo a bit because if he had said Mercutio had started it off it would have made Romeo’s killing look worse. This all creates even more tension.
