Obituary/Whodunnit?

Obituary

Tybalt Capulet, a promising youth of the city of Verona, has been slain. He met his untimely demise at the hand of another youth, Romeo Montague, who attacked him with the sword. Tybalt was 17.

The death of the young Capulet occurred after the murder of Mercutio Escalus, a friend of Romeo. Two members of the family of Montague, Romeo and his cousin Benvolio, were the only witnesses to Mercutio’s death, and both have claimed Tybalt was the murderer. Rather than letting justice work its course, however, Romeo slayed Tybalt as he arrived on the scene of Mercutio’s murder. The reason for Tybalt’s appearance on the scene is unclear.

Tybalt was known for his outstanding swordsmanship and his leadership skills in battle. His uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Capulet, were very fond of him. So far, no statement has been made by his family. However, the whole household is currently in mourning. Plans for the funeral are to be made soon, and County Paris has been seen around the house; it has been speculated that he is there to sooth young Juliet Capulet, cousin of Tybalt, who is very distressed.

Tybalt Capulet is survived by his parents, his uncle and aunt, his cousin, Juliet, and basically the rest of the Capulet household.

Whodunnit

The situation which enveloped the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt were rather complicated. When the Prince showed up, Benvolio was able to give an unbiased account of the events, but who was really at fault?

Romeo was avenging the death of his best friend and therefore is justified for the murder of Tybalt; he would have been condemned to death by the law anyway. However, he did step between Mercutio and Tybalt, which led to Tybalt sneaking his sword into Mercutio (albeit in a rather unsportsmanlike manner). Due to these two events, it would be clear the Romeo was directly at fault for the two deaths.

Yet, the fight would not have occurred if the two families had not been feuding in the first place! As the Prince mentioned, “three civil brawls” between the two families has caused havoc in the town. Deaths of innocents and unknowns may have already occurred, but finally, the feud has taken the life of a family member and that of a prominent figure. Therefore, the true root fault that caused the two deaths runs deep through families’ history. Who is at fault? Whoever started the stupid fight in the first place!