In Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio enters to interrupt a fight between two Capulet servants and two Montague households. The fight begins when Abram and Balthasar, trusted servants of the Montague family, overhears Capulet servants Sampson and Gregory bragging about the violent actions they would take if they ever encountered Montague men. Sampson makes a rude gesture at Abram and Balthasar, and each side argues over who serves the better men,...
In Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio enters to interrupt a fight between two Capulet servants and two Montague households. The fight begins when Abram and Balthasar, trusted servants of the Montague family, overhears Capulet servants Sampson and Gregory bragging about the violent actions they would take if they ever encountered Montague men. Sampson makes a rude gesture at Abram and Balthasar, and each side argues over who serves the better men, leading to a physical fight. Romeo's cousin, Benvolio, enters the scene at this point with his sword drawn. He says, in lines 61-62,
Part, fools!
Put up your swords! You know not what you do!
Tybalt, a member of the Capulet family, then enters and threatens Benvolio. He pulls out his sword, to which Benvolio responds, in lines 65-66,
I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.
Benvolio's role in the scene is to attempt to de-escalate a violent and angry situation. This is related to Benvolio's perspective throughout the play, which prioritizes preventing the violence that occurs between the Capulet and Montagues. In lines 61-62 and 65-66 especially, Benvolio attempts to prevent violence between the families and solve an unnecessary conflict between representatives of the two houses.
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