Tybalt Flashcards
(17 cards)
Rough plan
Hostile
Provocative
Volatile
Opening quotes
‘What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?’
‘What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word’
‘as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Have at thee, coward!’
Opening intentions
Shakespeare uses Tybalt’s hostile, provocative and volatile nature to indicts the Patriarchal society which teaches that violence is an inherent trait in men.
Middle quotes
‘This, by his voice should be a Montague. Fetch me my rapier boy’.
‘Now by the stock and honour of my kin, To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.’
‘I will withdraw but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet, convert to bitter gall’
Middle intentions
Shakespeare demonstrates issues present in excessive violence used in protecting family honour
A large amount of male violence stemmed from the patriarchy which reinforced the notion that honour is a highly valued concept and that the jeopardy of this would result in conflict and violence
Shows hierarchical power and generational divide
End quotes
‘Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford no better term than this,–thou art a villain.’
‘Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw.’
‘Thou wretched boy’
End intentions
Mercutio is microcosmic for the young men in Verona with his sexual references and ceaseless objectification of women
Mercutio and Tybalt embody contrasting worldwide views and therefore are foils to one another
This reinforces the motif of love vs hatred as both men are unified in death through hatred and familial feuds - nobody is left unscathed
Toxic masculinity permeating Renaissance society
‘What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?’
- unprovoked violence indicates how Tybalt is filled with rage & aggression
- alliteration brings attention to his determination to provoke Benvolio into conflict through deliberate insults
- introduces Benvolio and Tybalt simultaneously to juxtapose hostile, agressive nature with Benvoilio’s calm, kind-natured approach
‘What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word’
- Tybalt cannot fathom mention of peace when surrounded by, as demonstrated by his posing a question
- Despite Benvolio’s attempts to placate situation, Tybalt cannot help but increase tension
- rhetorical question shows disgust towards concept of peace
- noun ‘hate’ brings attention to strong dislike of peace, as he acts as an embodiment of toxic masculinity
‘as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Have at thee, coward!’
- strong sense of familial duty present as he finds parallels with his hate for hell to Montagues
- perhaps sees Montagues as inherently evil and in need of punishment, the Renaissance society had a strong focus on religion, despite it just being an arbitrary trait
- derogatory term ‘coward’ used to try instigate violence
- first person to mention hatred bringing attention to his role as a catalyst for violence
- exclamation mark shows strong feelings, unable to control or regulate his emotions
‘This, by his voice should be a Montague. Fetch me my rapier boy’.
- instantly resorts to violence, adhering to Renaissance perception of men as violent and aggressive, especially when confronted by a threat to their honour
- quick to react despite no conclusive evidence however seems perceptive
- aggressive nature powered and catalysed by anger for opposing family
- direct contrast in this scene of Tybalt and Romeo’s approach as Romeo focuses on love with Tybalt on violence
‘Now by the stock and honour of my kin, To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.’
- reference to nouns ‘stock’ and ‘honour’ gives way to Tybalt’s strong sense of pride and duty, as this allows Tybalt to garner support from a Renaissance audience who’d largely support his actions
- reference to ‘kin’ further justifies his action as he uses family as an excuse
- rhyming present
- sees his actions as morally justifiable demonstrating how the patriarchy has tweaked the moral compass
‘I will withdraw but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet, convert to bitter gall’
- Tybalt only removes himself by force from Lord Capulet as he is not a character to refuse opportunity for conflict
- warning that his retreat may present him as compliant however he still harbours a strong resentment for Romeo
- rhyming couplet indicates end of interactions in this scene however final words bring attention to the likelihood of his return being catalysed by violence
‘Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford no better term than this,–thou art a villain.’
- first character to reference hate and continues to do so in his final scene
- sees Romeo as inherently evil as he is a Montague
- does this in a manner to provoke him into action
- last time he called him a villain was to Lord Capulet and therefore beyond earshot of Romeo
‘Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw.’
- ‘boy’ noun brings attention to contempt for Romeo as he wishes to present him as inferior and incompetent by way of analysis
- feels wronged by Romeo and seeks to avenge such actions highlighting a keenness to protect honour and reputation
- commands Romeo to turn and draw as he sees violence as the only resolution, unable to navigate circumstances without aggression
‘Thou wretched boy’
- his exit is coloured with violence as he shows no regret
- ultimately his hamartia leading to his death
- folly of the youth to be too impulsive and hasty
- simplistic language shows lack of wit
Overview
Shakespeare uses the character of Tybalt as a vehicle to bring attention to the toxic masculinity which permeates Renaissance society. His hostile, provocative and volatile approach is further emphasised by his name, which is similar to the noun tyrant.
