Romeo and Juliet- characters and symbols

Romeo Montague The son and heir of Lord Montague and Lady Montague. He kills Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin.
Juliet Capulet The daughter of Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet.
Friar Laurence He secretly marries Romeo and Juliet in hopes that the union will bring peace to Verona.
Nurse Juliet’s faithful confidante and loyal intermediary in Juliet’s relationship with Romeo.
Mercutio A kinsman to the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend. He is killed by Tybalt.
Tybalt A Capulet, Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side. He kills Mercutio. Vain, fashionable. He loathes Montagues.
Lord Montague Romeo’s father, the patriarch of the Montague clan and bitter enemy of Capulet.
Lady Montague Romeo’s mother, Montague’s wife. She dies of grief after Romeo is exiled from Verona.
Lord Capulet Juliet’ 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 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.
Friar John Messenger of the news of Juliet’s false death asked to go to Romeo in Mantua, but he 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 a ruse/not real.
The Apothecary An apothecary in Mantua. He sells poison to Romeo.
Paris A kinsman of the Prince, and the suitor of Juliet most preferred by Lord Capulet. Lord Capulet promises he can marry Juliet.
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
Poison poison is not intrinsically evil, but is instead a natural substance made lethal by human hands.
Thumb biting The thumb-biting, as an essentially meaningless gesture, represents the foolishness of the entire Capulet/Montague feud and the stupidity of violence in general.
September 2, 2019