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Tybalt and Benvolio: Compare and Contrast

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Tybalt and Benvolio: Compare and Contrast
Tybalt and Benvolio
In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet the opposition of Benvolio and Tybalt is deeply emphasized because they serve as dramatic foil to each other, Tybalt demonstrates the good and evil natures that exist in man, thus proving that evil is a destructive force. Tybalt and Benvolio differ in terms of values, respect and trust, but both are similar in the sense that they fiercely support their family.
Readers see Tybalt as a pugnacious person and Benvolio as a person who makes peace, just like the same sides of a magnet these two characters do not like each other. Benvolio values peace and always tries to avoid fighting. An example is the Market scene when the servants from both house where fighting Benvolio says "I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword, or manage it to part these men with me” (Romeo and Juliet 1.1 58-59). It is clearly visible that Benvolio is a peace maker. In contrast, Tybalt is portrayed as a hotheaded and pugnacious person who cannot resist the urge to fight. An instance is when Tybalt says in “and talk of peace! I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee" (Romeo and Juliet 1.1 68-70). This was said after Benvolio tried to invite peace amongst the families’ servants who started the fray but Tybalt refuses to help. Instead, he tries to fight Benvolio. These two examples show that one person (Benvolio) values peace and the other values war and hatred; in other words, with their various values aggression and peacemaking comes respect from their community.
Although Tybalt and Benvolio are from prestigious families in Verona, they are both respected and trusted by the society in different ways. Tybalt, with his brutality and love for fights is less trusted by the community. An example would be "Be quiet...For shame...I'll make you quiet" (Romeo and Juliet 1.5. 86-87). The quote was said by Lord Capulet when he told Tybalt not to fight Romeo; this is an excellent example that shows us that Lord Capulet

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