| Juliet | – daughter of the Capulets- 13 years old- at first, very obedient to her parents, but falls in love with Romeo and becomes more mature and deceptive- at first, confides everything to her Nurse, but lies to her when the Nurse badmouths Romeo |
| Romeo | – son of the Montagues- age is not mentioned, but is believed to be around 15/16- more of a lover than a fighter- friends with Benvolio and Mercutio- in the beginning, in love with Rosaline, and goes to a party to see her, but falls in love with Juliet there- gets Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet- when Tybalt confronts him, he is calm because he is now related to him. However, when Mercutio is killed by Tybalt, Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished from Verona- willing to die if he couldn’t live with Juliet |
| Capulet | – father of Juliet- enemy of Montagues- first, wants Juliet to truly love Paris before pushing her into marriage; thinks she is too young- tells Tybalt to let it go and not fight Romeo when he sees him at the party- can get angry very quickly |
| Montague | – father of Romeo- enemy of Capulets- concerned about why Romeo seemed to be depressed at beginning of play |
| Lady Capulet | – wife of Capulet and mother of Juliet- only shows maternal love at end when Juliet “dies” – married young |
| Lady Montague | – wife of Montague and mother of Romeo- dies of grief when Romeo is banished from Verona |
| Mercutio | – related to the Prince and friends with Romeo- witty and talks too much- hotheaded- doesn’t look at love the way Romeo does- cannot let a fight go – curses both Montague and Capulet houses as he dies when he is slain by Tybalt |
| Benvolio | – Montague and friend and cousin of Romeo- lives up to his name and thinks of the good will- thoughtful and tries to not have violence publicly- much calmer than Mercutio |
| Tybalt | – Capulet; Juliet’s cousin- fiery, impulsive, and hotheaded- quick to fight- sends a challenge to Romeo after he sees him at the party- hates Montagues |
| Prince Escalus | – Prince of Verona, interested in peace and tries to maintain it- threatens both families if their feud disturbs the peace again- banishes Romeo when he kills Tybalt |
| Friar Lawrence | – kind, moderate, and friends with Romeo and Juliet- marries them and comes up with a plan for Juliet and Romeo to be together after he is banished- also a coward: leaves Juliet on her own when she wakes up in the tomb and Romeo is dead- explains everything after Romeo and Juliet are dead- good at herbs and plants |
| Friar John | – another friar that knows Friar Lawrence- sent to give a message to Romeo in Mantua about the plan to “kill” Juliet, but was quarantined because they thought he had the plague |
| Nurse | – nurse to Juliet- had a daughter named Susan- talks too much- sentimental; recalls stories of the past a lot- she is the go-between between Romeo and Juliet- used to be Juliet’s confidante until she badmouths Romeo |
| Paris | – related to the Prince and Juliet’s suitor- plans to marry her and has her father’s approval- acts like they are already married after he gets approval |
| Rosaline | – niece of Capulet- Romeo’s love in the beginning of the play- does not love him back- sworn to a life of chastity |
| Balthasar | – Romeo’s servant in Mantua- gives him news of Juliet’s death and hides near the tomb to see what Romeo was doing |
| Sampson and Gregory | – servants of Capulet- provoke a fight with Montague’s servants in the beginning |
| Abram | – servant of Montague- fights with Sampson and Gregory in the beginning |
| Apothecary | – in Mantua- very poor- lets Romeo have the poison because he needed money (poison was strong enough to kill 20 men) |
| Peter | – Capulet servant who was told to invite people to Capulet’s party but couldn’t read it and asked Romeo for help- accompanies the Nurse |
Romeo and Juliet Characters
September 3, 2019