In Act Three Scene One of Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt stabbed Mercutio under the arm resulting in his quick death. Set in a time period somewhere within the 14th or 15th century, would a stabbing under the arm have actually resulted in death and if so, would it actually happen as quickly as protrayed?

by Kamchatka1905

sotochan

In simple terms, if you sever the artery underneath the armpit then you would bleed out within less than 5 minutes. Sooner depending on your heart rate. Century does not matter as it is just as true today though there are obviously other factors at play.

I would recommend Contemporary Knife Targeting by Michael Janich if you are interested in learning more.