In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo kills Tybalt.
The killing occurs in Act 3, Scene 1, after Tybalt challenges Romeo. Romeo initially refuses to fight because Tybalt is now related to him through Romeo’s secret marriage to Juliet. Mercutio, unaware of the marriage and angered by Romeo’s refusal, fights Tybalt instead.
Tybalt fatally wounds Mercutio under Romeo’s attempt to intervene. After Mercutio dies, Romeo abandons his earlier restraint and pursues Tybalt. Their duel ends with Romeo killing him. Prince Escalus then banishes Romeo from Verona rather than executing him, because the killing follows Tybalt’s responsibility for Mercutio’s death.
This scene is a major turning point. Romeo’s marriage, intended to unite the families, becomes hidden from public knowledge, while the deaths make reconciliation more difficult. Romeo’s banishment also separates him from Juliet and drives the later chain of events.