Essay --

Clare Kelly Hour: 6 â€Å"The test of a round character is whether it is capable of surprising in a convincing way. If it never surprises, it is flat. If it does not convince, it is a flat pretending to be round.† -E.M. Forster Benvolio initially appears to be a minor character in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. As Romeo’s trustworthy cousin he is the consistent anchor and voice of reason throughout the play. Benvolio is portrayed as an honest, steadfast friend and peacemaker yet he has his own heartaches, which cause him to not always act sensibly. Shakespeare cunningly gives the audience an early indication of Benvolio’s personality through his name. Benvolio translated literally means â€Å"good-will† or â€Å"well wisher† a role he consistently fills, although sometimes unsuccessfully throughout the play, striving to keep himself and others around him out of any conflict. In the very first scene of the play, Benvolio quickly establishes himself as the peacemaker as he tries to stop the fight between the Montague and Capulet servants by saying, â€Å"Part fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do.†(I.i.64-65) Wanting peace he warns them to stop arguing before things evolve into a grave situation. In that statement, Shakespeare references the Gospel of Luke â€Å"Father forgive them for they know not what they do† (Luke 23:34), using his skillful use of the written language to allude that Benvolio was taking on a Christ like peacemaker role in the play. Benvolio’s moral convi ctions do not change over the course of the play. His stance on peace is evident in all three scenes. In Act III, as Mercutio and Tybalt begin to fight, Benvolio once again attempts to be the voice of reason, â€Å"We talk here in the public haunt of mean: eithe... ...he is out for a pre-dawn stroll. â€Å"A troubled mind drove me to walk abroad.†(I.i.114) Then later on in Act I there is evidence that Benvolio doesn’t always act sensibly as he convinces Romeo to sneak in un-invited to the enemies masquerade ball, which could end in grave consequences. In Act II Benvolio and Mercutio join together to make fun of the Nurse at her expense, â€Å"hide her face, for her fans the fairer face.† (II.iv.98-99) In conclusion, although in the beginning Benvolio only appeared as a minor character, over the course of the play Shakespeare devolved Benvolio into a well rounded, three-dimensional character by making him not only a sensible peacemaker, and a honest trustworthy friend but also creating him to have a troubled mind like any other normal human. It is ironic that Benvolio, a minor character, is the only one that was left to pick up the pieces. Essay -- Clare Kelly Hour: 6 â€Å"The test of a round character is whether it is capable of surprising in a convincing way. If it never surprises, it is flat. If it does not convince, it is a flat pretending to be round.† -E.M. Forster Benvolio initially appears to be a minor character in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. As Romeo’s trustworthy cousin he is the consistent anchor and voice of reason throughout the play. Benvolio is portrayed as an honest, steadfast friend and peacemaker yet he has his own heartaches, which cause him to not always act sensibly. Shakespeare cunningly gives the audience an early indication of Benvolio’s personality through his name. Benvolio translated literally means â€Å"good-will† or â€Å"well wisher† a role he consistently fills, although sometimes unsuccessfully throughout the play, striving to keep himself and others around him out of any conflict. In the very first scene of the play, Benvolio quickly establishes himself as the peacemaker as he tries to stop the fight between the Montague and Capulet servants by saying, â€Å"Part fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do.†(I.i.64-65) Wanting peace he warns them to stop arguing before things evolve into a grave situation. In that statement, Shakespeare references the Gospel of Luke â€Å"Father forgive them for they know not what they do† (Luke 23:34), using his skillful use of the written language to allude that Benvolio was taking on a Christ like peacemaker role in the play. Benvolio’s moral convi ctions do not change over the course of the play. His stance on peace is evident in all three scenes. In Act III, as Mercutio and Tybalt begin to fight, Benvolio once again attempts to be the voice of reason, â€Å"We talk here in the public haunt of mean: eithe... ...he is out for a pre-dawn stroll. â€Å"A troubled mind drove me to walk abroad.†(I.i.114) Then later on in Act I there is evidence that Benvolio doesn’t always act sensibly as he convinces Romeo to sneak in un-invited to the enemies masquerade ball, which could end in grave consequences. In Act II Benvolio and Mercutio join together to make fun of the Nurse at her expense, â€Å"hide her face, for her fans the fairer face.† (II.iv.98-99) In conclusion, although in the beginning Benvolio only appeared as a minor character, over the course of the play Shakespeare devolved Benvolio into a well rounded, three-dimensional character by making him not only a sensible peacemaker, and a honest trustworthy friend but also creating him to have a troubled mind like any other normal human. It is ironic that Benvolio, a minor character, is the only one that was left to pick up the pieces.