More than prince of cats, I can tell you. O, he is the courageous captain of compliments. He fights as you sing prick-song, keeps time, distance, and proportion; rests me his minim rest, one, two, and the third in your bosom: the very butcher of a silk button, a duellist, a duellist; a gentleman of the very first house, of the first and second cause: ah, the immortal passado! the punto reverso! the hai!
– William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 4. Mercutio, the joker in the play, makes fun of Tybalt’s fighting and fencing style. This passage is Mercutio’s reply, when Benvolio asks "what is Tybalt?" Tybalt has sent a letter to Romeo, which they believe must be a challenge and they are worried about lovesick Romeo taking up the challenge in his condition. Mercutio jokes that Tybalt is a masterful fencer who can "butcher…a silk button" and has taken lessons from the most famous fencing instructor – "of the first house." He mocks Tybalt when he lists his fencing moves, all known by pretentious foreign names, "the immortal passado! the punto reverso! the hai." But behind Mercutio’s mocking, he appears to admire Tybalt’s fighting skills and is concerned about Romeo fighting him.