Benvolio And Tybalt Comparison Essay

Who am I more like-Benvolio or Tybalt. Before I answer that question I need to first compare and contrast the two characters, and identify their main traits. Benvolio is a peaceful, and as his name might suggest, benevolent person. There are several examples of this in the play. First, during the fight scene Benvolio is the first person to try to break it up. Later on, Benvolio promises to do his very best to bring his cousin Romeo out of depression. In fact, at the end of Act 1, scene 1, Benvolio says “I’ll pay that doctrine or else die in debt” in reference to teaching Romeo how to forget about Rosaline. This shows Benvolio’s dedication to Romeo’s well being. Next. Tybalt. Tybalt is a violent, warlike, hateful man. In the fight scene, instead of attempting to break up the fight like Benvolio,

Tybalt is a catalyst in making it continue.

In fact, in Act 1, scene 1 Tybalt says “What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.” His use of the word “hate” in this sentence shows how opposed he is to peace, as well as a large number of other people. This leaves these two people left with very little in common, other than the fact that they're both about the same age, the same gender, and they are both related to nobility. Although these are undeniable similarities, I don’t think that any of them are significant to the question. Now, let’s look at how I’m similar to and/or different than Benvolio. First and foremost, we are both very peaceable people. However, I believe that I am more peaceful than

Benvolio because I am a committed pacifist where as he did in fact fight during the brawl after his attempt to break it up. Next, Benvolio is dedicated to helping others. I like to think that I have this trait as well. I have often done voluntary service and the like, yet I think I might not be as dedicated as Benvolio. When Benvolio is trying to help Romeo get over Rosaline he seems fully

committed, and makes it seem as the only way for him to fail would be if he failed over and over and over and over again. It is quite possible however, that the main reason he is so dedicated is because Romeo is his cousin, and it is possible that Tybalt would do the same for Juliet where they in a similar situation or that I too would have that level of dedication if one of my cousins was chronically depressed. For the sake of this essay however, I’ll assume that Benvolio help Romeo more because Romeo was in need of help than for any other reason. If that was in fact the cases, I am not entirely similar to Benvolio in this aspect either. Now, onto Tybalt. As stated before, Tybalt seems to be a violent, warlike, hateful person. As I said when comparing myself to Benvolio, I am in fact the opposite of violent, a dedicated pacifist. This of course also means that I am not warlike. As for being hateful, I once again differ greatly from Tybalt. Tybalt claims he hates all Montagues, which is quite a large number of people, but off the top of my head I can’t think of a single person that I hate. In fact, I struggle to think of anything that I hate. The thing that I hate most is probably the spiky balls that fall off of our tree and onto the lawn, and even that can barely be called a hatred. In conclusion, I am significantly more similar to Benvolio than to Tybalt. Both Benvolio and I share traits of wanting to help others and being peaceable, albeit at various levels. On the other hand I am greatly contrast with the hateful, warlike traits of Tybalt.