Tybalt
Tybalt (/ˈtɪbəlt/) is a character in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. He is the son of Lady Capulet's brother, Juliet's short-tempered first cousin, and Romeo's rival. Tybalt shares the same name as the character Tibert / Tybalt "the prince of cats" in the popular story Reynard the Fox, a point of mockery in the play. Mercutio repeatedly calls Tybalt "prince of cats" [a], in reference to his sleek, yet violent manner.
"Prince of Cats" redirects here. For the graphic novel, see Prince of Cats (graphic novel).Tybalt
Lady Capulet (paternal aunt)
Juliet Capulet (cousin)
Luigi da Porto adapted the story as Giulietta e Romeo and included it in his Historia novellamente ritrovata di due Nobili Amanti (Newly found tale of two Noble lovers) published in 1530.[2](pp38–44) Da Porto drew on Pyramus and Thisbe, Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron and a novella by Masuccio Salernitano. Da Porto gave it much of its modern form, including the lovers' names, the rival families of Montecchi and Capuleti, and their location in Verona.[3](p168) He also introduces characters corresponding to Shakespeare's Mercutio, Tybalt, and Paris. Da Porto presents his tale as historically true and claims it took place in the days of Bartolomeo II della Scala (a century earlier than Salernitano). Montague and Capulet were actual 13th century political factions, but the only known connection between them is a mention in Dante's Purgatorio as an example of civil dissension.[4](pp264–277)
A sample of notable portrayals include:
Analysis[edit]
Draper (1939)[11] points out the parallels between the Elizabethan belief in the four humours and the main characters of the play; Tybalt is choleric: Violent, vengeful, short-tempered, ambitious.[12] Interpreting the text in the light of humours reduces the amount of plot attributed to chance by modern audiences.[11](pp16–34)