Benvolio tries his best to keep the peace and says, “I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword, or manage it to part these men with me. ” By saying this Benvolio means either drop your swords and keep the peace, or use them to part the men from fighting.
Tybalt replies by saying that he hates the word peace, just as he hates hell and all Montagues including Benvolio, and he then calls him a coward.
In Act 3 scene 1 Benvolio’s opening remarks suggest that there could be a fight if they meet the Capulets, so he says to Mercutio, “I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire….if we meet we shall not scape a brawl.”
Benvolio is the one who does not want to fight, but Mercutio is willing to fight. Mercutio points out that in the past Benvolio has been willing to quarrel about the silliest things, such as someone coughing in the street and a waking a sleeping dog. Mercutio can not understand what Benvolio’s problem is and does not see why he has had a change of heart towards fighting.
Benvolio does not agree with this and says he wouldn’t last long if he did quarrel as easily as that. Once Tybalt and Petruchio arrive, its clear Mercutio is looking for a fight because when Tybalt says to him you have been socialising with Romeo, he replies with, “Consort? What, dost thou make us minstrels?”
Mercutio then goes on to say that minstrels usually entertain with a musical instrument such as a violin or also known as a fiddle. He then draws out his sword and says,
“Here’s my fiddlestick, here’s that shall make you dance.”
Mercutio is then implying that his sword is his fiddle and that shall make Tybalt dance! Even when Romeo turns up Tybalt starts antagonising him because he wants the atmosphere around them become hostile enough to start a fight. Romeo then apologises to Tybalt for anything he might have done to offend him, but Tybalt just says, “Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw.”
Nothing that Romeo can say will change Tybalt’s mind about fighting him so therefore he tells Romeo to draw his sword so Tybalt then has a good reason to attack Romeo.
Mercutio steps in to protect and stand up for his friend Romeo but sadly Tybalt, being the stronger man, kills Mercutio. Now that his friend Mercutio has been killed right infront of him, Romeo’s anger grows stronger and he starts to reflect on other things Tybalt has said towards him. An example of this is when Tybalt called Romeo a villain and now Romeo feels he has no choice but to fight Tyblat in honour of his friend Mercutio and to also prove to himself that he is a good man and not the villain that Tybalt thinks he is. This then leads to a fight and Tybalt is killed by Romeo.
Benvolio is then concerned about Romeo getting caught so he says to him,
“Romeo, away, be gone!
The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain.
Stand not amazed, the Prince will doom thee death
If thou art taken. Hence be gone, away!”
Benvolio is telling Romeo to go as people have started to notice that something is wrong and if Romeo is caught the Prince will have him killed. Romeo is now afraid of the consequences of what he has done and Benvolio wants Romeo to get away safely as quick as possible as no one would believe that Tybalt was killed in self-defence.
It is clear that Benvolio and Romeo are both very much against violence whilst Tybalt and Mercutio had the stronger personalities and were very much encouraging a fight. Even thought the two characters Tybalt and Mercutio were strong people, it was not enough to prevent them from being killed. This lead to the two people who wanted to fight in the first place both being killed and the two peace makers Benvolio and Romeo, being in a lot of trouble and afraid to face up to their responsibilities which could lead to Romeo being killed when really he and Benvolio tried their up most to prevent violence occurring.
