Tag Archives: Romeo and Juliet

What I learned from William Shakespeare about building character

I taught Romeo and Juliet to ninth-graders when I was an English teacher. It was the perfect play for an introduction to Shakespeare: two kids about the same age as my students making impulsive decisions that got them into trouble. We all think the play is about star-crossed love and the tragedy Romeo, Juliet, and so many other characters suffer because the protagonists challenge the norms of society. Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is a romantic whirlwind that has stood the test of time, but at its heart is another fabulous, forgotten relationship: the “bromance” between Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio. It is this wonderfully crafted dynamic I want to discuss today.

Romeo

Romeo is the consummate romantic. He sees the world through rose-coloured glasses. He longs for love, but his devotion is fickle, and he gives his heart over to his latest fancy. Nothing is impossible in Romeo’s mind, even if it is marrying the daughter of his family’s greatest enemy, a girl who could barely be considered a teen. He believes himself to be invincible. Though banished upon sentence of death, he stays in Verona for a booty call. Ever the optimist, he believes Friar Lawrence when he says the fuss over his banishment will eventually blow over, and he can return to Verona a free man.    

Benvolio

Benvolio is the pragmatist of the group. He is the only trio member who keeps a cool head, thinks things through, remains calm, and tries to defuse conflicts instead of aggravating them. Several characters rely on Benvolio to give an unbiased report of plot events. After Roseline rejects Romeo, Benvolio convinces him to attend the Capulet party. During Mercutio and Tybalt’s altercation, Benvolio tries to convince the men to discuss matters further at another time, but then Romeo enters, and the duel begins.

Mercutio

Mercutio plays the role of the impulsive clown. His mouth has no filter, which often goads people to anger. Everything is a joke to him, and he drinks to excess. When stabbed by Tybalt, Mercutio jokes and downplays his injuries. Believing he has suffered only a scratch, his friends do nothing to help him and watch him die.

The trio in my writing

When writing, I often recall these three personalities—the optimist, the pragmatist, and the clown—and use them to shape my characters. The protagonists in my novels (like Braelynn in the Braelynn’s Birthright series) often have two close friends. My protagonist is usually the Benvolio of the group. She keeps a cool head in times of conflict and thinks things through. One of her friends is a Romeo, jaded, romantic, always looking for the silver-lined cloud in the storm. Her other friend is a Mercutio, a joker, always trying to make light in the darkness and not always at opportune times.

The trio in other stories

I am not alone in modelling my characters after this famous trio. Here are a few others you might have seen (each of these examples lists the roles in the following order: Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio):

  • Supernatural: Sam, Dean, Castiel
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow, Buffy, Xander
  • The Rookie: Lucy, Tim, John
  • Elsbeth: Kaya, Captain Wagner, Elsbeth
  • The Big Bang Theory: Penny, Leonard, Sheldon

What other Romeo-Mercutio-Benvolio trios can you think of?

The takeaway

The next time you sit down to write, consider modelling your characters after classic groupings like the one in Romeo and Juliet. To do this, read classic literature like a writer would, not for pleasure, but to question the author’s choices. Try to figure out why the pairings (or trios) of characters work—What has made them stand the test of time? What is their appeal?—and try to create personalities with similar traits, motivations, and relationship dynamics. The ability to pen memorable characters that will pull on your readers’ heartstrings is only a few classic works away.

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Can “Defiance” Defy the Odds?

Defiance is a combination of both a TV show and a video game

Defiance premiered on Showcase Monday night, to lukewarm reviews. I, on the other hand, rather liked the show, and will be watching further episodes. Defiance takes place 33 years after Earth is invaded by an alien ship, called The Ark, transporting seven different types of sentient beings from the same solar system. They arrive on Earth, terraform it to their liking, and now the aliens and humans are trying to co-exist in the dystopia. Defiance is the town that rose up from the ashes of St. Louis.

Julie Benz is terrific as Mayor Amanda Rosewater. She plays her with a maturity that haven’t yet seen in her other roles. Grant Bowler is Joshua Nolan, a scavenger who makes his living collecting and selling the remains of The Ark as they fall to Earth (a phenomenon known as Arkfall). He arrives in Defiance and gets into trouble defending a boy accused of murder. He gets out of trouble by agreeing to find the real murderer and winds up staying on as sheriff of the town.

Defiance may suffer from a case of trying to do too much too soon. I don’t think I’ll ever learn all of the alien species (collectively known as The Voltans), and the soap-opera style subplots pile up until the last minutes of the two hour episode. In spite of the premise’s predictability (for example, I knew Nolan would become sheriff the moment the current sheriff is killed), and inconsistencies (Why terraform a planet to rid it of its greenery when it is the greenery of the planet that makes it desireable?) I enjoyed the show due to its nod to Shakespearean archetypes. I loved the Romeo and Juliet vibe going on between the son of the Tarr family and daughter of the McCawley clan. Just as entertaining is the scene between Datak and Stahma Tarr in the tub. Upset that his son will marry a human, Datak rants that his wife will spoil his bath if she continues to talk about his son’s choice for a mate. That’s when Stahma channels her inner Lady Macbeth and convinces Datak that if the children marry and something were to happen to the girl’s father and brother, then their family would stand to inherit the McCawley business and eventually control most industry in the town. The implication is that Datak will have something to do with the death of the male McCawleys. Later, when Datak is disgusted by his son’s conformation to the human custom of giving the McCawley girl a ring as a promise to wed, Stahma calms him by suggesting the mere fact the children are engaged will be enough to prompt Papa McCawley’s demise.

Defiance is unique in that quite a bit of money and planning has went into the simultaneous release of the show and video game and (according to online sources) the hope is that watching the series will unlock hints for the game and playing the game will further endear viewers to the characters. While I won’t be playing the game any time soon (that’s just not my thing), I am looking forward to next Monday’s episode, especially in light of the cliff-hanger posed by the episode’s final moments in which former Mayor Nicky Riordan, played with sinister flare by Finnoula Flanagan, hints that there is something subversive about to happen in the near future that will change life on the planet as they know it.

I will definitely be watching; will you?

graphic from:http://www.slashgear.com/defiance-is-both-a-tv-show-and-a-video-game-08276908/#entrycontent

About the Author

Elise Abram, English teacher and former archaeologist, has been writing for as long as she can remember, but it wasn’t until she was asked to teach Writer’s Craft in 2001 that she began to write seriously. Her first novel, THE GUARDIAN was partially published as a Twitter novel a few summers back (and may be accessed at @RKLOGYprof). Nearly ten years after its inception Abram decided it was time to stop shopping around with traditional publication houses and publish PHASE SHIFT on her own.

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