Provide at least 3 reasons that both Mercutio and Tybalt cannot avoid fighting?

Answer 1

1. They both want to fight
2. Neither of them wants to avoid fighting.
3. They each think they have reasons to fight.

Of course, these are all the same reason, just expressed differently, but the fact is that Mercutio and Tybalt could easily have avoided fighting each other and there are many reasons for that:

1. Tybalt is not a Capulet. Even though he hangs with them, he is only associated with them because he is Mrs. Capulet's nephew. Therefore there was no need for him to buy into the feud unless he really wanted to.
2. Mercutio is not a Montague. Even though he hangs with them, he is actually a member of the Prince's family like Paris. There was no need for him to buy into the feud either.
3. There was no need for Tybalt to pursue Romeo. Capulet told him rather forcefully that the fact that Romeo gatecrashed the party was not an insult to the Capulets, and Tybalt was ordered to let the matter go. He continued with it because he really wanted to fight Romeo, even if it was against the orders of Capulet.
4. If there was no reason for Tybalt to fight Romeo, there was even less reason to fight Mercutio, who did not gatecrash the party. Mercutio was invited.
5. Even if Romeo refused to fight Tybalt, as he did, there was no need for Mercutio to step into his place. Any dishonour or stain of cowardice would fall on Romeo, not his friends. Benvolio did not think it necessary to fight, and he was actually related to Romeo. A fortiori, Mercutio had no reason to do so.
6. For some reason, Mercutio has a hate on for Tybalt, calling him "Prince of Cats" and "ratcatcher", and "the very butcher of a silk button". He doesn't like the way Tybalt has studied fighting and then uses that skill against those less skilled, in the same way a cat catches rats. But the response to this is not to get into illegal street fights, but to talk to his relative the Prince and get the Prince to arrest Tybalt for street fighting. Mercutio makes it personal because it IS personal; the hate came first, and the rationale came later.

Answer 2

1. Mercutio's hot-headedness and quick temper make him prone to conflict, while Tybalt's pride and sense of honor make him unwilling to back down from a challenge.
2. Their longstanding feud and deep-seated animosity towards each other fuel their desire for confrontation.
3. Peer pressure and societal expectations of masculinity and honor also drive both Mercutio and Tybalt to engage in the fight, as they feel obligated to defend their reputations.