Tybalt 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", in reference to his sleek, yet violent manner.
Romeo and Tybalt (painted by Albert, Prince Consort c. 1840–1845)
Basil Rathbone (left) as Tybalt in the 1936 film.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.
An 1870 oil painting by Ford Madox Brown depicting the play's balcony scene
L'ultimo bacio dato a Giulietta da Romeo by Francesco Hayez. Oil on canvas, 1823.
Masuccio Salernitano, author of Mariotto & Ganozza (1476), the earliest known version of Romeo & Juliet tale
Frontispiece of Giulietta e Romeo by Luigi da Porto, 1530