🚀 go-pugleaf

Franz Gnaedinger wrote:
> 
> In the play 'Romeo and Juliet' a quarrelsome character
> by the name of Tybalt seeks trouble, 

Tybalt is Juliet's cousin who, angered at Romeo (a Montague) 
gatecrashing the Capulets' ball - but being prevented by 
Capulet from challenging him at the time - has apparently 
sent a challenge to the Montagues' house and is now looking 
for him.

> draws against Romeo's friend Mercutio, 

No he doesn't. Mercutio is the first to utter provocative 
words and neither draws initially. 

> this one also draws, a sword fight ensues, 

Not yet it doesn't. Romeo arrives, at which point Tybalt 
says "Here's my man", and tries to provoke him to fight. 
Romeo refuses (because this is Juliet's cousin), which 
angers Mercutio as a "vile submission", and he's determined 
to fight even if Romeo won't. He draws first, and some 
lines later Tybalt draws too.

> Romeo intervenes, but in vain, he makes it only worse, 
> Mercutio falls, 

Romeo tries to beat down their swords, but in doing so 
allows Mercutio to be stabbed (under Romeo's arm). Tybalt 
flees and Mercutio, mortally wounded but still alive, is 
led away by Benvolio, who soon returns to say that he has 
died. Romeo decides that this death must be revenged.

> whereupon Romeo takes revenge by killing Tybalt for 
> having murdered his good and funny friend. 

Tybalt returns and Romeo challenges him. They fight and 
Tybalt dies. Benvolio urges him to flee, which he does 
eventually.

> Romeo was not guilty under Verona's law, 

The Prince arrives, and incensed that his prohibition of 
any such fighting has been ignored and his kinsman Mercutio 
killed, he banishes Romeo from Verona on pain of death.

<snip>

> Peter Farey, himself supporting the Marlowe-
> Shakespeare connection, gave me a fine advice:

Peter Farey was joking. Any alleged "hidden meanings" like 
these are worthless unless that meaning is grammatically 
correct, says something which is actually meaningful, and 
can be proved beyond reasonable doubt to have been placed 
there deliberately. 

The only "fine advice" I gave you was to make sure that you 
have a satisfactory answer to the questions posed in my 
short article at <http://tinyurl.com/ydzqv8r>. How are you 
doing? 


Peter F.
<peter.f@rey.prestel.co.uk>
<http://www2.prestel.co.uk/rey/index.htm>