Both Act I, Scene 1, and Act III begin with a violent meeting between the Capulet and Montague families. In Act I, some low-level Capulets run into Benvolio and two other Montague men, and the Capulets purposely bait the Montagues into fighting. It's the same in Act III, when Tybalt and his cohorts go looking for Romeo so Tybalt can fight him. In both situations, Benvolio serves as a voice of reason and peace (which...
Both Act I, Scene 1, and Act III begin with a violent meeting between the Capulet and Montague families. In Act I, some low-level Capulets run into Benvolio and two other Montague men, and the Capulets purposely bait the Montagues into fighting. It's the same in Act III, when Tybalt and his cohorts go looking for Romeo so Tybalt can fight him. In both situations, Benvolio serves as a voice of reason and peace (which helps explain the "ben" root of his name, which means "good"), contrasting with Tybalt's sheer aggression and meanness (which helps to explain the similarity between his name and the word "tyrant"). In both cases, the prince intervenes and imposes punishments he hopes will prevent further violence in the community. In Act I, he makes Lords Montague and Capulet responsible for any further altercations between their families, and in Act III, he banishes Romeo after he murders Tybalt.
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