Literature Essay Revision
Grade 10 – Romeo & Juliet
Step 1: Analyse the Question
In an essay of 300 – 350 words, compare and contrast the characters
and roles of Benvolio, Mercutio and Tybalt in Shakespeare’s Romeo
and Juliet.
Step 2: Plan the main points you will include
in your essay
• Intro
• Benvolio:
- Peace-loving
- Kind advice to Romeo
- Respectful
- General points: Romeo’s cousin, good friend
• Mercutio:
- Little sound advice to Romeo – cynical about love
- Loyal to Romeo
- Volatile & Easily-angered
- General points: related to the prince, friend to Romeo
• Tybalt:
- Easily-angered
- Loves a fight
- Disrespectful
- General point: a Capulet, not a friend to Romeo
• Conclusion
Step 3: Write an Intro Paragraph
A. Make use of TAG: TITLE, AUTHOR and GENRE
B. Reword the question, writing a short CLAIM that you will prove.
You can introduce a very general point linked to the topic.
C. Include an AIM that begins with, “This essays aims to…”
• Example: Benvolio, Tybalt and Mercutio all play meaningful roles in
Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. It is Benvolio, however, who can
be described as the most honourable in his pursuit of peace. This essay
aims to discuss the similarities and differences between the three
characters.
Step 4: Write body paragraphs using PEEL
P: Point
E: Evidence
E: Explanation
L: Link
Body Paragraph One
Benvolio is the most peace loving which is evident when he professes
to “but keep the peace”. It is also he who encourages Mercutio to
“retire” when the Capulets are on the street – he does not want a fight.
Benvolio is respectful of others – we never hear him mock another and
when he speaks of others, he uses honourable language such as, “my
noble uncle” when speaking of Montague. He also respects Tybalt
enough to ask him civilly to help him stop the fight and “part these
men”. Furthermore, Benvolio is a good friend, loyal cousin, and
counsellor to Romeo, giving him kind, helpful advice about love.
Body Paragraph Two
Similarly, Mercutio, is a friend to Romeo. Unlike Benvolio, he is a
relative of the prince and not a Montague. He doesn’t really give
Romeo any sound counsel regarding love but shows his cynical side by
making crude jokes about love. He too, is loyal to Romeo, however, his
loyalty is displayed differently – when Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt,
Mercutio can’t stand to see him be dishonoured and fights Tybalt in the
name of honouring his friend. This loyal act also displays his volatile
side. He is easily angered and gets frustrated when Romeo does not
fight Tybalt, describing it as “vile submission”. Tybalt kills Mercutio.
Body Paragraph Three
• Tybalt, too, is easily angered and, unlike Benvolio, displays no sign of
desiring peace. He loves fighting and passionately supports his family
feud with the Montagues – he is no friend to Romeo. He goes as far
to say that he hates peace; “talk of peace? I hate the word.” While
Benvolio is respectful, Tybalt shows disrespect by disregarding The
Prince’s command to not fight. Like Mercutio, he is unrelated to
Romeo as he is a Capulet. Romeo kills Tybalt.
Step 5: Wrap up your argument with a
conclusion
Use the words:
• Based on the evidence above…
• One can conclude…
Example: Based on the evidence above, the similarities and differences
between Benvolio, Mercutio and Tybalt are clear. Since Benvolio is the
only one of the three alive at the end of play, one can conclude that it is
his peace-loving nature that triumphs.
Let’s practise!
The theme of appearance vs reality runs through Romeo and Juliet, and
the fact that things are not always what they seem is partly what leads
to the tragedy in the play.
In a well-structured essay of 300-350 words, discuss the validity of this
statement.