Benvolio (character)
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| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Benvolio |
| Occupation: | Veronese nobleman |
| Relationships: | Cousin of Romeo, friend of Mercutio, often shipped with Mercutio |
| Fandom: | Romeo and Juliet, Romeo es Julia |
| Other: | |
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Benvolio is a character created by William Shakespeare who appears in Romeo and Juliet and in many of its adaptations, such as Romeo and Juliet: the Musical.
In Canon
In Shakespeare
Benvolio is Romeo's cousin and Mercutio's friend. He seems to be the most levelheaded in his friend group but still makes some quips like Mercutio's. He almost always enters and exits with Mercutio, and he ceases to appear after announcing Mercutio's death to Romeo. In the First Quatro, it is mentioned that he died not long after his last appearance; however, this line was cut and it is not mentioned in the play as it is performed.
In Roméo et Juliette
In Roméo et Juliette: de la Haine à l'Amour (2001), the original version of the musical, Benvolio's role is expanded upon. He continues to appear until the end of the musical, sings a solo song, and announces Juliet's death to Romeo. He also seems to have a tumultuous relationship with a Capulet-aligned woman referred to as La Muette. She does not appear in the play or in other versions of the musical.
In Rómeó és Júlia, the Hungarian version, he is portrayed by MÁSZ and dresses like a punk. He is instructed to take a letter from Juliet to Romeo by Friar Lawrence but hears the false news of her death and tears up the letter.
In the 2010 French revival, Roméo et Juliette: Les Enfants de Vérone, he was portrayed by Cyril Niccolai and serves as a narrator figure part of the time, introducing himself and Mercutio to the audience.
In the Toho productions, Mercutio dies in Benvolio's arms rather than Romeo's and sings "La Follie" (originally a Mercutio song) in parallel to Juliet singing "Le Poison".
In Fandom
In General
Benvolio is a very popular character. In the R&J Shakespearean tag on Ao3, he is the fourth most tagged character.
He is most frequently shipped with Mercutio, followed by Rosaline, then Tybalt.
He is generally seen as loyal and long-suffering. Many fans headcanon that he has anxiety or depression.
RetJ/ResJ Fandom
To differentiate between different versions and runs, musical fans referring to Benvolio sometimes specify by mashing his name together with that of the actor who played him (ex: Cyrilvolio, played by Cyril Niccolai). A 2019 fandom survey found very mixed results as to which Benvolio fans preferred.[1]
He is generally perceived as having less common sense in the musicals than in the play and is often described as being like a Golden Retriever. Because he most often has blond hair in the musicals but other Montagues seldom do, a common headcanon is that he bleaches his hair.
Fan Works
Shakespearean Fandom
Writing
- benvolio by @thesunwontcomeout
Art
- little goodie two-shoes by @wenitsiyoh
- for real this time getting back into the swing of things by @glascoo
Miscellaneous
Musical Fandom
Writing
Art
- 💙 by @nanakaxxx (RetJ 2010)
Miscellaneous
- Various Benvolios plotted by silliness and quantity of husband material by @capybarauru
- someone needs to match his freak GIF (RetJ 2010)
Archives and Links
- Benvolio (Romeo and Juliet) tag on Ao3