Benvolio Flashcards
I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.
Throughout the play, Benvolio is the peace-loving character and in this scene he is trying to prevent the brawl. However he would have likely been deemed by the Jacobean audience as a coward and not masculine enough
Where, underneath the grove of sycamore
So early walking did I see your son:
The fact that they were both dejected and troubled about something, again contrasts traditional masculine stereotypes.
See, where he comes: so please you, step aside;
I’ll know his grievance, or be much denied.
The fact that the Capulets trust Benvolio to find out what’s wrong shows the closeness of their relationship and the brotherhood they share. Rhyming couplet
Good morrow
Romeo and Benvolio talking is example of stichomythia which is where 2 characters speak shortly to each other. This increases the tension in the scene and captures the attention of the audience. It also shows the close nature of their relationship as they can understand each other with a few words
Take thou some new infection to thy eye,
And the rank poison of the old will die.
Benvolio suggests replacing Rosaline with another girl, which will stop Romeo from feeling so gloomy. It is foreshadowing the ending as Romeo dies by drinking poison. He also perhaps compares love to poison suggesting it is toxic, showing Romeo’s and Benvolio’s contrasting views on the matter
Romeo, my cousin Romeo, Romeo!
The use of my cousin highlights the familial connection between them
Come, he hath hid himself among these trees
Elizabethan plays had simple sets, so Shakespeare uses language to set the scene. Benvolio’s description helps the audience imagine what is going on.
She will indite him to some supper.
The Nurse accidentally mixes up her words in the previous line so Benvolio immediately does the same, perhaps to mock her, portraying him as crueler than first expected
I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire:
The day is hot, the Capulets abroad,
And, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl;
Arguably, this is the scene on which the play turns, and all the tragic wheels are set in motion. Benvolio’s apt warning that ‘we shall not scape a brawl’ highlights this
Thou wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts
Benvolio’s previous character is juxtaposed as he is suddenly presented as, as violent and even more hotheaded than the others and as someone who just wants to get into arguements as he argues over such trivial matters
Either withdraw unto some private place,
And reason coldly of your grievances,
Or else depart
Benvolio is continuing his role of the peacemaker here as he tells the hot-headed characters of Mercutio and Tybalt to “withdraw” to somewhere less open. This could be referring to how the hot streets of Verona are said to contribute to the temper of the characters in the play. By going indoors and out of the heat, Benvolio believes that the conflict will die down. He is also suggesting that they just leave each other be which was never gonna happen
There lies the man, slain by young Romeo,
That slew thy kinsman, brave Mercutio.
Benvolio still tries to protect Romeo, as he says that Tybalt killed the prince’s kinsman, in order to make Romeo’s actions seem justifiable which shows his loyalty to not only the Montague family but also Romeo as a cousin and as a best friend. However, he doesn’t lie that Romeo didn’t kill anyone highlighting his noble and honourable nature
And, as he fell, did Romeo turn and fly.
This is the truth, or let Benvolio die.
Benvolio recounts the duel whilst ever so highlighting certain details as to appeal to the Prince, so that there is a lesser punishment for Romeo. The rhyming couplet at the end could imply the proverb of ‘fight or flight’ which possibly means if Romeo had chosen to fly away then he would’ve gotten away unscathed but not avenged Mercutio. Whereas, he chose the ‘fight’ path which means he now has to take the consequences as he slew Tybalt for the death of Mercutio. Also, again his noble nature is highlighted as he swears he is saying the truth and will happily die if he is not
