Benvolio And Mercutio Character Analysis

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Benvolio's thoughtfulness throughout the course of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," shows that the age and brain development of the teenage characters in the play had no effect on their actions. Although Benvolio is the same age as Romeo and Mercutio, he is remarkably more level-headed and sensible. Whenever there is a potential inflammatory situation at hand, Benvolio tries to diffuse it. His name literally means "Peace-maker," or "Well-wisher,". In the beginning, when the Capulet and Montague servants get into a fray, Benvolio stops Abram and Sampson from fighting by saying this. "Part, fools! Put up your swords. You know not what you do." (Shakespeare, 995). Benvolio is right when he calls them fools; they, despite being presumably older then him, are fighting over nothing. …show more content…

He says: "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,"(Shakespeare, 1044). His wiseness is a direct contrast to Mercutio's eagerness to fight, and Romeo's lack of control over his emotions and impulsiveness. These things get them killed, and banished for murder, respectively. One of Romero’s biggest blunders was the shotgun wedding he planned with Juliet. He rushed into love without thought. Why? Thanks to modern science, we may know what caused Romero to behave so recklessly. “...it's the combination of that prefrontal cortex and a heightened need for reward that drives some of the most frustrating teenage behavior.” (Edmonds, 2008). A lot of mishaps in the story can be explained away by saying that it’s not the teenagers’ fault - it’s their brains’! But Benvolio, also a teenager, never had a problem being patient or acting

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