Romeo and Juliet: Characters

Romeo Montague The only son and heir of Lord & Lady Montague. Husband of Juliet and killer of Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin.
Juliet Capulet The only child, daughter of Lord & Lady Capulet. Wife of Romeo.
Friar Laurence Friar of the community, he secretly marries Romeo & Juliet in hopes that their union will bring peace to Verona, family of former enemies.
Nurse Juliet’s faithful confidante and loyal intermediary in her relationship with Romeo. Juliet cuts her off when she urges Juliet to simply marry Paris and forget her newly made husband Romeo.
Mercutio A kinsman to the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend; a man of mercurial personality. He is killed by Tybalt in a fencing match.
Tybalt A Capulet, Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side. Vain and fashionable. He kills Mercutio “accidentally”. He loathes all Montagues.
Lord Montague Romeo’s father, the patriarch of the Montague clan and enemy, for unexplained reasons, of Capulet.
Lady Montague Romeo’s mother, Montague’s wife. She dies of grief after Romeo is exiled from Verona.
Lord Capulet Juliet’s father, the patriarch of the Capulet family, husband of Lady Capulet, and enemy, for unexplained reasons, of Montague.
Lady Capulet Juliet’s mother, Capulet’s seemingly bitter “marr’d” wife. She is eager to see her daughter marry Paris.
Benvolio Montague’s nephew, Romeo’s cousin and thoughtful friend, he makes a genuine effort to defuse violent scenes in public places, though Mercutio accuses him of having a nasty temper in private. He spends most of the play trying to help Romeo get his mind off Rosaline, even after Romeo has fallen in love with Juliet.
Friar John A Franciscan friar charged by Friar Lawrence to take the news of Juliet’s false death to Romeo in Mantua. Friar John is held up in a quarantined house, and the message never reaches Romeo.
Balthasar Romeo’s dedicated servant, who brings Romeo the news of Juliet’s death, unaware that her death is not real, but a ruse planned to get her out of the marriage to Paris.
The Apothecary A druggist or pharmacist in Mantua, he sells poison to Romeo.
Paris A kinsman of the Prince and the preferred suitor of Juliet by Lord Capulet who gives his consent to their marriage.
Prince Escalus The Prince of Verona. A kinsman of Mercutio (Romeo’s best friend) and Paris. He is concerned about maintaining the public peace at all costs
August 25, 2019