What Sadness Lengthens Romeo's Hours?

Through the story of Romeo and Juliet, many characters have changed beliefs and desires. However, unlike all the other characters, Benvolio stays true to being protective, trustworthy, and the voice of reason. Benvolio is not just any cousin of Romeo’s, he’s one that the Lord and Lady Montague, and Romeo implicitly trust. At the beginning of the story, Lady and Lord Montague rely on Benvolio’s information to discern had transpired. He gives a true account, not being biased in his explanation to one house or another. He shows that he cares for Romeo when he tells Lady and Lord Capulet that Romeo has been aloof lately and approaches Romeo, seeing if he can help with what ails him. BENVOLIO: What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours? ROMEO: Not

When Tybalt sends Romeo a letter asking for a duel, he approaches Mercutio about the problem; asking if he would assist Romeo in the duel. He knows that Romeo is still shaken by the Rosaline heartbreak and does not possess the skills in sword fighting to ever beat Tybalt. Not just being protective for Romeo, when Benvolio and Mercutio enter the place of the duel, he begs to Mercutio to leave the place. He says, “I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire. / The day is hot, the Caples [are] abroad, / And if we meet we shall not ‘scape a brawl,” (3.1.1-3). He would rather avoid any conflict at all and make sure no one gets hurt. However, the hot headed Mercutio stays too long and the Capulets show up. He once again tries to break up the fight, afraid that the Prince would give them the death

Here all eyes gaze on us.

Although he was unable to prevent the fighting and the deaths of Tybalt and Romeo, he still trusted by the people of Verona, including the prince, to give the correct story of the events that have occurred. In the Scene we are doing, act 3 scene 1, all Benvolio thinks about is stopping the fight. He unlike the brash Tybalt or hot headed Mercutio, recognizes the repercussions dueling in the streets of Verona can bring. He already knows how this must end if they meet, with Tybalt and Mercutio dead, and Romeo banished or worse. However, he still pleads and begs to prevent the inevitable, to protect his kinsmen. After Tybalt and Mercutio die and the families are brought before the prince. The prince asks Benvolio for a recount of the events and who the beginner of this bloody fray was, PRINCE: Benvolio, who began this bloody fray? BENVOLIO: Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo’s hand did slay. (3.1.159-160)

He is trusted to describe the events as impartial as possible, and which he does, even with the anguish he feels from the death of Mercutio and the resentment he feels from the Capulets. He bears the insults from Lady Capulet of him being “false” and speaking not true and is the voice of truth, in all this