Romeo is banished from Verona for killing Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo kills Tybalt after Tybalt has fatally wounded Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, during a street confrontation between the rival factions.
Before the fight, Romeo refuses Tybalt’s challenge because his secret marriage to Juliet makes Tybalt his relative by marriage. Mercutio does not know why Romeo declines and takes up the challenge himself. After Mercutio dies, Romeo abandons his restraint and pursues Tybalt.
Prince Escalus does not sentence Romeo to death, but he orders him banished from Verona. Romeo spends the next part of the play in Mantua, where he waits for news and later learns the false report of Juliet’s death. The banishment separates the newly married couple and makes their reunion dependent on Friar Laurence’s risky communication plan.