| Benvolio | |
|---|---|
| Romeo and Juliet character | |
 Jacques St-Cyr as Benvolio in Prokofiev'sRomeo and Juliet | |
| Created by | William Shakespeare |
| In-universe information | |
| Family |
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Benvolio Montague (Italian:Benvolio Montecchi) is a fictional character inWilliam Shakespeare'stragedyRomeo and Juliet. He isLord Montague's nephew andRomeo's cousin. Benvolio serves as an unsuccessful peacemaker in the play, attempting to prevent violence between the Capulet and Montague families.
In 1554,Matteo Bandello published the second volume of hisNovelle which included his version ofGiulietta e Romeo.[1] Bandello emphasises Romeo's initial depression and the feud between the families, and introduces theNurse and Benvolio. Bandello's story was translated into French byPierre Boaistuau in 1559 in the second volume of hisHistoires Tragiques. Boaistuau adds much moralizing and sentiment, and the characters indulge in rhetorical outbursts.[2]
The name Benvolio means "good-will" or "well-wisher" or "peacemaker" which is a role he fills, to some degree, as a peacemaker and Romeo's cousin. He also wants peace so civil brawls between him and Tybalt can stop but will do anything for his family even if that means war against the Capulets. (For comparison, see the derivation ofMalvolio – ill-will – inTwelfth Night.)
Benvolio is Lord Montague's nephew andRomeo's cousin. He is usually portrayed by Shakespeare as a kind and thoughtful person who attempts to look out for his cousin.
Benvolio spends most of Act I attempting to distract his cousin from his infatuation withRosaline but following the first appearance of Mercutio in I.iv, he and Mercutio become more closely aligned until III.i. In that scene, he drags the fatally wounded Mercutio offstage, before returning to inform Romeo of Mercutio's death and the Prince of the course of Tybalt and Mercutio's deaths. Benvolio then disappears from the play (though, as a Montague, he may implicitly be included in the stage direction in the final scene "Enter Lord Montague and others" and he is sometimes doubled withBalthasar).
Part of Benvolio's role is encouraging Romeo to go to the party, where he falls in love withJuliet.
A mock-Victorian revisionist version ofRomeo and Juliet's final scene (with a happy ending, Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio andParis restored to life and Benvolio revealing that he is Paris's love, Benvolia, in disguise) forms part of the 1980 stage-playThe Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.[3] He also attempts to romanceRosaline inSharman Macdonald'sAfter Juliet.
In the 2019 British musical& Juliet Benvolio is portrayed by actress Kirstie Skivington.
In 1968 the part of Benvolio was played byBruce Robinson inRomeo and Juliet.
In the1996 version ofRomeo and Juliet, the actor who played Benvolio wasDash Mihok.
In the 2001 French musicalRoméo et Juliette: de la Haine à l'Amour, the role was originated by Grégori Baquet.
In the2013 version ofRomeo and Juliet, the actor who played Benvolio wasKodi Smit-McPhee. Benvolio gets a larger supporting role as he narrates the film and replaces Abraham's scenes in the final act of the film.
