Romeo's best friend is Mercutio, while Juliet's best friend is the Nurse, who is also the closest thing she has to a mother. When Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel, Romeo refuses to fight because of his marriage to Juliet. This leads to his friend Mercutio fighting Tybalt on Romeo's behalf, being injured and dying. Romeo is distraught by Mercutio's death and proclaims: "My very friend, has received this mortal evil/In my name... O sweet Juliet, Your beauty has made me effeminate/And in my character softened the steel of valor" [3.1.114-120]. The phrases “thy beauty has made me effeminate” and “the steel of valor softened” imply that Romeo blames himself for failing to protect Mercutio because of his relationship with Juliet. He places Mercutio and a man's courage after Juliet because of love. Likewise, the nurse is Juliette's mother figure and confidante. When the nurse urges Juliet to forget Romeo, Juliet decides to become independent of her for the first time and declares: "You [the nurse] and my breast are henceforth two" [3.5.240]. By using the word "twain", Juliette cuts all ties she has with the nurse. This proves that Juliet's love for Romeo is so strong that it forces her above all to remain faithful to him. Their love and devotion to each other is unmatched and transcends