Romeo and Juliet

Romeo The sixteen year old son and heir of Montague and Lady Montague.
Juliet The thirteen year old daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet
Friar Lawrence A Franciscan friar, friend to both Romeo and Juliet.
Mercutio A kinsman to the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend.
The Nurse Juliet’s nurse, the woman who breast-fed Juliet when she was a baby and has cared for Juliet her entire life.
Tybalt A Capulet, Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side.
Capulet The patriarch of the Capulet family, father of Juliet, husband of Lady Capulet, and enemy of Montague.
Lady Capulet Juliet’s mother, Capulet’s wife.
Montague Romeo’s father
Lady Montague Romeo’s mother who dies of grief after Romeo is exiled from Verona.
Paris A kinsman of the Prince, and the suitor of Juliet most preferred by Capulet.
Benvolio Montague’s nephew, Romeo’s cousin and thoughtful friend, he makes a genuine effort to defuse violent scenes in public places
Prince Escalus The Prince of Verona.
Friar John A Franciscan friar charged by Friar Lawrence with taking the news of Juliet’s false death to Romeo in Mantua.
Balthasar Romeo’s dedicated servant
Sampson & Gregory Two servants of the house of Capulet, who, like their master, hate the Montagues.
Abram Montague’s servant, who fights with Sampson and Gregory in the first scene of the play.
The Apothecary An apothecary in Mantua. Had he been wealthier, he might have been able to afford to value his morals more than money, and refused to sell poison to Romeo.
Peter A Capulet servant who invites guests to Capulet’s feast and escorts the Nurse to meet with Romeo.
Rosaline The woman with whom Romeo is infatuated at the beginning of the play.
The Chorus The Chorus is a single character who, as developed in Greek drama, functions as a narrator offering commentary on the play’s plot and themes.
To which city does Romeo go after being exiled from Verona? Mantua
Why is Romeo exiled? For killing Tybalt
Who performs Romeo and Juliet’s marriage? Friar Lawrence
Who is the fairy that Mercutio says visits Romeo in dreams? Queen Mab
What does the Nurse advise Juliet to do after Romeo is exiled? Act as if Romeo is dead and marry Paris
Where do Romeo and Juliet meet? At Capulet’s feast
Who kills Mercutio? Tybalt
Which character first persuades Romeo to attend the feast? Benvolio
What, at first, does Juliet claim that Romeo hears the morning after their wedding night? The nightingale
To what does Romeo first compare Juliet during the balcony scene? The morning sun
Who discovers Juliet after she takes Friar Lawrence’s potion? The Nurse
Who proposes that a gold statue of Juliet be built in Verona? Montague
To which powerful figure is Paris related? Prince Escalus
How and where does Romeo commit suicide? With poison in Juliet’s tomb
Who is the last person to see Juliet before she stabs herself dead? Friar Lawrence
Why is Friar John unable to deliver Friar Lawrence’s message to Romeo in Mantua? He is held inside a quarantined house, and is unable to leave.
Why does the Apothecary agree to sell Romeo poison? He is poor, and needs the money.
On what day do Romeo and Juliet meet? Sunday
With whom is Romeo madly in love for the first two scenes of the play? Rosaline
In what decade was Romeo and Juliet written? 1590s
Whom does Mercutio curse as he lies dying after a duel? The Montagues and Capulets
In what area is Friar Lawrence an expert? Plants and herbs
What term does the Chorus use to describe the lovers? star-crossed
Why does Tybalt first challenge Romeo to a duel? He is offended that Romeo shows up at the Capulet ball.
In what year did Shakespeare die? 1616
What is the genre of the play? Tragic drama
What is the climax of the play? The deaths of Romeo and Juliet in the Capulet tomb
Who are the protagonists in the play? Romeo; Juliet
Who are the antagonists in the play? The feuding Montagues and Capulets; Tybalt; the Prince and citizens of Verona; fate
What are the settings in the play? (time and place) Renaissance (fourteenth or fifteenth century); Verona and Mantua (cities in northern Italy)
What is the point of view of the play? The play has a point of view, that of Romeo and Juliet; occasionally the play uses the point of view of the Montague and Capulet servants to illuminate the actions of their masters.
What is the falling action of the play? The end of Act 5, scene 3, when the Prince and the parents discover the bodies of Romeo and Juliet, and agree to put aside their feud in the interest of peace.
What are the tones expressed in this play? Passionate, romantic, intense, rhapsodic, violent, prone to extremes of emotion (ecstasy, rage, misery, etc.)
What are the themes expressed in this play? The forcefulness of love; love as a cause of violence; the individual versus society; the inevitability of fate
What are the motifs expressed in this play? Light/dark imagery; opposite points of view
What are the symbols expressed in this play? Poison; thumb-biting; Queen Mab
Who is the author of the play? William Shakespeare
What effect does the accelerated time scheme have on the play’s development? Because of the intensity of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet and the complex development of events during the few days of the play’s action, the story can certainly seem to take place over a time span much longer than the one it actually occupies.
Is it plausible that a love story of this magnitude could take place so quickly? By compressing all the events of the love story into just a few days, Shakespeare adds weight to every moment, and gives the sense that the action is happening so quickly that characters barely have time to react, and, by the end, that matters are careening out of control.
How do Romeo and Juliet develop throughout the play? What makes them fall in love with one another? The attraction between Romeo and Juliet is immediate and overwhelming, and neither of the young lovers comments on or pretends to understand its cause. Their love for one another is so undeniable that neither they nor the audience feels the need to question or explain it.
Why does Mercutio hate Tybalt? To the self-possessed Mercutio, Tybalt seems a caricature; to Tybalt, the brilliant, earthy, and unconventional Mercutio is probably incomprehensible.
July 4, 2019