It is difficult to view this scene through the eyes of Mercutio at first glance. Mercutio is blinded by his rage, due to the heat. Until this point in the play, Mercutio has been the most level- headed character. He is a realist. This is perhaps why he is so insistant on seeking out a battle with Tybalt and the Capulets. Mercutio is not just blinded by rage. He knows that the only thing that will come of this family quarrel is death and destruction. Mercutio is unaware of Romeo's secret motive for desiring peace with Tybalt, and looks upon his present mercifulness as a sort of calm dishonourable submission. Although there is no way of Mercutio knowing Romeo's intentions, he is somehow able to sense what is happening. Mercutio is such a realist, that he knows that no amount of love or infatuation can halt the deadly outcome of this family quarrel. He even realizes his own fate in line 93, "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man." Mercutio, in the name of love, friendship, and duty, chooses not to listen to Benvolio and Romeo, and meets his untimely death. And in line 86, before Mercutio falls to his death, he blames the two families, the Capulets and Montagues, not fate, for his demise. "A plague o" both your houses. I am sped." This quarrel has gotten the best of Mercutio, and he knows not to place blame on fate, but on the two houses who have caused so much grief and hatred throughout Verona.
Tybalt is a name that evokes anger and hatred. He will stop at nothing to defend the name of the Capulets. He will stop at nothing to destroy the Montagues. He will stop at nothing to destroy Romeo. Tybalt is unaware of his new relation to young Romeo, and refuses to hear him out. Tybalt seeks out Romeo, and will not stop until Romeo pays for his past intrusions. Tybalt is always looking for a fight, and it just so happens that on this particular day, Mercutio feels the same way.
