Benevolio’s part in the play is that of a peacemaker. This is proven by the lines “part fools!” and “I do but keep the peace.” In Act 1 Scene 1 when the two families start fighting and “I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire.” “Either withdraw unto some private place… or else depart.” In Act 3 Scene 1 where he tries to stop Mercutio and Tybalt fighting. Throughout the play Benevolio is the voice of reason and tries to calm down the other characters.
Romeo and Tybalt are opposites in the way they act. Romeo on the one hand is passionate and romantic, which is shown in his language. Tybalt on the other hand is very violent and aggressive which is shown in his actions. The language Romeo uses is often poetic and deep. “This day’s black fate, on more days doth depend; This but begins the woe others must end.” Which rhymes and “Tybalt the reason I have to love thee doth excuse the appertaining rage.” His language always remains courteous and poetic even during conflict. Tybalt’s language is different. “Romeo the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this, -- Thou art a villain.” “Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here, shalt with him hence.” He uses very hostile language mixed with some personal insults. His actions also show he is very aggressive as in Act 1 Scene 1 he begins the fight and Act 3 Scene 1 where he kills Mercutio.
Mercutio gets really angry when he sees Romeo submitting to Tybalt. “O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!” Mercutio’s speech is then filled with very animalistic imagery. “Tybalt you rat-catcher, will you walk?” This is in reference to Tybalt’s nickname- Prince of Cats. So Mercutio is mocking Tybalt and trying to lure him into a fight. I think he is truly wants to slay Tybalt because of the quote above, he is actually saying he wants to take Tybalt’s life. In Shakespeare’s time a challenge to fight must have been accepted to preserve a mans honour. This is why Mercutio acts as he does, because Romeo is being dishonourable by refusing to fight and Mercutio cannot abide it.
Romeo uses very gentlemanly language to set himself apart from the other characters and make him seem “higher” in the eyes of the audience. “Draw Benevolio; beat down there weapons.” Romeo appeals for Benevolio’s help rather than joining into the fight as the other characters would, again making him stand out from the other “violent” characters. Romeo often uses poetry in his dialogue while the other characters just seem to insult each other giving him a more placid appearance.
Mercutio’s language differs so extremely which gives an appropriate insight into his character and personality. He has two very different aspects of his personality; the jokey, sociable, lighter side and the aggressive, hateful, darker side. These two sides clash together in his speech creating an odd mixture of jokes and puns against angry curses showing Mercutio is a man at odds with himself, creating an enigma for the audience. In his dying speech he uses a joke even as he dies. “No, ‘tis no as deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door.” Mercutio’s main function is to die and cause the fight between the two families to flare up again and to get Romeo banished. If Romeo wasn’t banished then what would happen in the rest of the story? It is also similar to his Queen Mab speech as they are both a heated rant at everything and everyone. This again shows the darker side of Mercutio’s personality as one moment he can be composed and the next brutal and hostile.
With Mercutio’s demise Romeo finally becomes angry. His language and behaviour change as a result. Contrasting previous actions, where he submitted to Tybalt, Romeo desires to fight him and get retribution. He talks about “black fate” turning to a very angry form of poetry becoming gentlemanly and violent at the same time. The “black fate” speech ties in with the prologue and Mercutio’s “A curse on both your houses.” Romeo’s love changes to fury at Tybalt and evens talks about how love has made him soft. “O sweet Juliet, Thy beauty hath made me effeminate.” “Fiery eyed fury be my conduct now!” Stating that no more will he back down and allow Tybalt to do as he wants without taking his revenge.
Benevolio’s language show he is telling the truth. He actually describes what has happened for a start and uses lots of adjectives to describe how people acted. “Uttered with gentle breathe, calm look, knee’s humbly bow’d.” when he talks about Romeo. “Unruly spleen.” “Deaf to peace.” to describe Tybalt. Also at the end of his speech he says “This is the truth, or let Benevolio die.” Indicating that he is confident he’s told the truth and is prepared to doe for it. He also describes their deeds in a lot of detail. “His agile arm beat down their fatal points.” “And to’t they go like lightning.” To again prove he’s telling the truth.
Compared with Benevolio Lady Capulet is the complete opposite. “Some twenty of them fought in this black strife.” When only Tybalt, Mercutio and at the end Romeo, who were skirmishing which she didn’y even witness. “And all those twenty but could take one life.” She talks about how twenty of them could scarcely kill Tybalt and also draws attention away from the fact Tybalt killed Mercutio, trying to manoeuvre the situation to her own advantage.
The actions of the Prince prove that fate (and Shakespeare) has decided that Romeo must live. “Immediately we do exile him hence.” If he was executed there would be no plot and the play would just end. “A pair of star crossed lovers take their life.” If the prince had Romeo killed then the fight between the Montagues and Capulets would just escalate and Romeo and Juliet wouldn’t be able to commit suicide and end the fighting.
In conclusion Shakespeare’s language elevates the atmosphere with Mercutio’s cocky jokes, Tybalt’s nasty insults, Romeo poetry, Benevolio’s truthfulness, Lady Capulet’s lies and the Prince’s final decision. All this fits together to escalate the fighting and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. The language makes each character seem like real people to the audience who can then empathise with them s a result. This is what made Romeo and Juliet such a success, Shakespeare knew how to make the audience believe it was real and get the audience shouting in the fight scenes and crying in the death scenes. If the language and the tension were different and it wasn’t there then the audience wouldn’t be interested and the play would have failed. Shakespeare uses language to play on human emotion.
