Benvolio
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Benvolio is a character in William Shakespeare's fiction 'Romeo and Juliet', one of the legendary Montagues. He is Romeo's cousin, and Montague's nephew. Throughout the play, he appears mostly in the company of Romeo and Mercutio. All three are good friends and are very close. Benvolio spends most of his time with Romeo attempting to distract his cousin from his infatuation with Rosaline, even after Romeo has fallen in love with Juliet.
One of Benvolio's most important attributes is that he is non-confrontational with regards to the Montague-Capulet rivalry, trying to avoid fights and keep the peace between the families. A good example of this attitude is in Act I, he is trying to part two fighting servants of the two houses. However, he does not hesitate to fight if necessary; an example of this is in Act I, Scene one, when he defends himself against Tybalt. In Act III Scene I, Benvolio is accused by Mercutio of being a hypocrite in his peace-seeking, implying that Benvolio is a person who professes to wish for peace while actually seeking out excuses to fight.
He appears in the play from Act 1 to Act 3, disappearing after Scene one of Act 3, with 156 total lines in the play.
His name means "good-wisher" which is a role he fills, to some degree, as a peace-maker and Romeo's friend. It is also worth noting that Benvolio's name may possibly be from the word "benevolent", meaning, "Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness; disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable" which is a fairly accurate description of Benvolio's personality. His personality also tends to be quite literal and clear, although he has a tendency to use words incorrectly.
It is worth noting that by the end of the play, Benvolio is the only principal character (from his generation) who has not been consumed by the violence springing from the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets and is thus the only survivor. Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, Tybalt, Lady Montague, and Paris are all killed. Perhaps this is a comment on his "good natured" personality, and attempts in the first half of the play to be a peacemaker.
Benvolio is also a character in Christopher Marlowe's play 'Doctor Faustus'. He appears as the mastermind of a group set to assassinate Doctorfooler
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