Authorpreneur Dashboard – Emily Whitaker
Benvolio
Teens
Verona, Italy struggled with vicious sword fights and certain death for over 100 years due to the Montagues and Capulets’ hatred toward one another. Although the source of this hatred has never been known, the children of these two enemies are resolved to end it. Hidden deep in the sycamore grove on the outskirts of Verona, Benvolio Montague and Rosaline Capulet fall in love and quickly realize the urgent need to end the hatred between their families. The necessity of ending the hate calls for late night trespassing into the Capulet gardens; begging secrecy from a helpful Friar; and recruiting Juliet’s nurse to assist in planning Romeo and Juliet’s concealed meetings, secret marriage, and wedding night rendezvous. With his stealthy skills Benvolio never tells Romeo about his plan. However, there is an obstacle in Juliet’s angry cousin, Tybalt. He is out for Romeo’s blood. To stop this madness Benvolio encourages Romeo to answer his threats with peace. Mercutio, a friend of the Montagues, is all too happy to fight Tybalt. Trying to stop this sword fight Romeo steps in between them. The tragedy that ensues is enough to convince Mercutio that this family war will only end with love. The fight continues and the death count climbs. With Romeo’s exile from Verona, Benvolio’s determination to end the hate with love escalates. But he quickly realizes that all his actions to support his cousin’s love and guarantee his own happiness have set in motion the Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
Book Bubbles from Benvolio
Why the Sycamore Grove
“Madam, an hour before the worshipped sun/ Peered forth the golden window of the east/ A troubled mind drove me to walk abroad/ Where, underneath the grove of sycamore/ That westward rooteth from this city side/ So early walking did I see your son.” – Benvolio, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet This is the call to action in Romeo and Juliet. It is packed with information, and I needed to know more about Benvolio’s ‘troubled mind’. The detail in this line is what I believe Shakespeare used to direct his actors. So I approached it as an actor. I knew the day was young, but it had started long ago for me. I had seen the sun rise, my lungs were filled with fresh air, and my heart was already heavy by the time I was rejected by my cousin in the grove. What specifically is troubling Benvolio? This part I filled in as a writer. And I chose, Rosaline. A character that Shakespeare felt was important enough to name, give lineage to, and yet the audience never meets her. I wanted to find out what would bring a Capulet daughter and Montague son into the grove despite their families' feud. I wrote this chapter as an exercise to learn about the relationship Benvolio would have with Rosaline.
Benvolio and Romeo
When imagining Benvolio and Romeo's relationship I felt their bond was as deep as brothers. That is why I chose to have them raised as such. Romeo's parents took Benvolio in after he was orphaned by the plague.
