Multidimensional Characters In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

As Susan Cain once said, “All personality traits have their good and bad sides.” This idea is seen in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. What Cain says about having good and bad sides is portrayed by a cousin who is loyal and vengeful, a friend who is peaceful and naive, and an acquaintance friend who is sarcastic and wise. Therefore, Shakespeare creates multidimensional characters that have both strengths and weaknesses.

Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, is loyal and vengeful. One example of Tybalt's loyalness occurs when the Capulets are throwing a party and Romeo shows up even though he is not invited. “This by his voice should be a Montague./ Fetch me my rapier boy. What ,dares the slave/ Come hither, covered with an antic face,/ To fleer

When Tybalt says “Fetch me my rapier boy” he is asking for his sword so that he can have a duel with Romeo. Tybalt thinks that Romeo shows up to the party to ”fleer” or mock the Capulets and their party. “Now by the stock and honor of my kin,/ To strike him dead is not a sin” when saying this Tybalt shows his loyalty by stating that he will kill to protect his family name. Not only will he kill but he will not consider it a sin to kill Romeo or a Montague. Although Tybalt is loyal, he is also vengeful. The first example of Tybalt's vengeance occurs at the beginning of Romeo and Juliet when an argument between the Capulets and Montagues started by the Capulets turns into a street fight. “What drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word/ As I hate all Montagues, and thee./ Have at thee, Coward!”( 1.1 72-74). Benvolio draws his sword to stop the fighting and Tybalt misinterprets this action, thinking he wants to

The first example of Benvolio’s being peaceful occurs at the beginning of Romeo and Juliet. In the middle of Verona an argument broke out between the Montagues and Capulets. When Benvolio arrives he pulls out his sword and says, “I do but keep thy peace. Put up thy sword,/ or manage it to part these men with me”(1.1 58-59). Benvolio does not want to get into a fight. When he says “Put up thy sword” he is saying that the Montagues and Capulets should put away their swords. When he says “Or manage it to part these men with me” he is saying that The Montagues and Capulets do not know what they are getting themselves into. On the other hand Benvolio is naive. When Romeo, Tybalt, and Mercutio get in a fight at the end of the play it is a prime example of how Benvolio’s naivety. During this scene Tybalt kills Mercutio and then Romeo kills Tybalt. Benvolio is talking to a police officer about the murders. “O noble prince, I can discover all/ The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl./ There lies the man, slain by young Romeo,/ That slew thy kinsman, brave Mercutio”(3.2 53-56). Benvolio tells the truth about what happens which is an example of how he is naive, because he thinks that good things will happen if you tell the truth. Where in reality Benvolio telling the truth only gets his friend Romeo in trouble. By telling the truth about Romeo killing Mercutio it leads to Romeo being banished, from Verona and in the long run, Romeo and