Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" and his comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" contain protagonists, but it's the antagonists that have a greater impact on the play. The storylines have many similarities, and many comparisons can also be made regarding to the villains and how they impact the storyline. The main villain in "Romeo and Juliet" is Tybalt who is Juliet's cousin from the Capulet house. He is hot-blooded and fiery-natured, so it is most of his actions that lead to the tragedy in the play. The main villain of "Much Ado" is Don John who is the illegitimate brother of Don Pedro, the Prince of Arragon. There are may other, less obvious villains in both plays, a few of them being Romeo, Mercutio, Friar Lawrence, and the Capulet and Montague house parents in "Romeo and Juliet" as they participate in the tragedy that happens in the play. In "Much Ado" Claudio, Don Pedro, and to some extent, Leonato can be perceived as villains by a modern audience as their actions reflect the chauvinism and patriarchy of Elizabethan England. .
Tybalt, right from the start of the play, is seen as an aggressive and fiery character, and it is obvious that he will disrupt the joy of the play and that his actions will impact negatively on others. Tybalt is first introduced in Act 1, scene 1 as he takes stance as if wanting to fight Benvolio and to add to tension, states "what drawn and talk of peace! I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues and thee." This shows that he is not afraid to admit to Romeo that he hates him, proving that he would rather fight than make peace. When Tybalt took stance Benvolio gave Tybalt advice to "put up your swords," but Tybalt took no heed of this, as he took no heed of the words of the Prince, who had already set a pledge to stop fighting, and the punishment was severe. Don John alternately is introduced being quiet and shy, and a quiet character to a modern audience is a suspicious one, therefore is seen as an untrustworthy villain.
