Romeo and Juliet - Characters
Romeo
Romeo is the only son of Lord and Lady Montague and belongs to one of the two most powerful families of Verona, which are bitter rivals. Romeo falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of the family of Capulet. He woos her quickly and they marry. Soon after, Romeo is involved in a brawl which results in the death of Tybalt (a Capulet) and in Romeo’s banishment from Verona. A plan to spend one last night with Juliet goes tragically awry when he believes she is dead and kills himself. When she sees what he has done, she kills herself as well.
Juliet
Juliet is a thirteen-year-old and the only child of her parents, Lord and Lady Capulet. Juliet has not yet been tempted by love but when she sees Romeo, who had crashed her parents’ party, she immediately falls in love with him. She is a strong-minded young lady who convinces Romeo that they should marry. Their marriage is then quickly arranged. Upon hearing that Romeo has been banished, she goes along with a plot hatched by Romeo’s priest and pretends to be dead. Romeo kills himself when he mistakenly believes that she is dead, which, in turn, leads to Juliet taking her own life.
Lord Capulet
Capulet is the head of one of Verona’s powerful families and is married to Lady Capulet. Although they have had several children, Juliet is the only surviving child. Lord Capulet gives a party in which he is unintentionally instrumental in bringing Romeo and Juliet together. His conversation with others implies that he is well past his youth. In the end, he agrees that the family feud with the Montagues has not been worth the deaths of the two young people.
Lady Capulet
Still a young woman, she remarks early in the play that she was about Juliet’s age when she gave birth to her. She is in charge of the Capulet household and the servants generally answer to her. She is concerned about making a good marriage for her daughter and instructs her to find a suitable handsome young man. It is Lady Capulet who pressures the Prince of Verona to banish Romeo.
Lord Montague
Lord and Lady Montague head the family that rival the Capulets for power in Verona. They have only one child: Romeo. Early in the play Montague shows an eagerness to physically brawl with the Capulets, but is held back by his wife. In the end Lord Montague agrees with his rival Capulet that the families’ feud must end if only to make sense of the deaths of their children.
Prince Escalus
Escalus is a Prince, higher in rank than either the Montagues or the Capulets, who drive him to frustration with their brawls and vendettas. After a nasty street fight between the rival families early in the play, he warns them to settle their disagreements without bloodshed or there will be serious repercussions for both sides. After Romeo kills Tybalt, the Prince takes the drastic measure of banishing the young man from Verona.
Friar Lawrence
The Montague family priest, Friar Lawrence has his own ‘cell’ where he lives quietly. He expresses fatherly concern for Romeo and although he vocally disapproves of the young man’s lovesick ways and immature behavior, decides to marry him and Juliet in an attempt to end the two families’ feud. A further plan to bring the couple together for one night after Romeo’s banishment backfires, and the couple die by their own hands. The priest convinces the rival families to make peace in the memory of their children.
Nurse
A talkative old servant, whose real name is Angelica, Nurse has been Juliet’s caregiver for many years; nursing her as a baby and clucking over her like a mother hen. She has an archive of stories to tell about her beloved Juliet and will recount them. Nurse provides some comic relief in her rambling conversations and her teasing of Juliet when the girl asks for news of Romeo. Nurse helps Friar Lawrence bring the two lovers together.
Mercutio (Mur-CU-Shee-oh)
A relative of Prince Escalus and friend of Romeo’s, he is bold and outgoing, always joking and seemingly takes nothing seriously. He spends much of his time in the play teasing Romeo for being in love with Rosaline, not realizing that Romeo has fallen for Juliet. After he is slashed by Tybalt’s sword, he blames Romeo for stepping between him and his rival during their duel. The wound does not seem to be serious at first, but he dies soon after.
Benvolio
A cousin and friend of Romeo’s, he is quieter and more thoughtful than Mercutio, more conservative and cautious, but still full of youthful energy and high spirits. He is instrumental in explaining to the Montagues, Capulets, and the Prince what happened during the course of the sword fight between Tybalt and Mercutio and Romeo’s involvement in Tybalt’s death.
Tybalt
Tybalt is a nephew of Lady Capulet’s who is quite close to Juliet. He is angry about Romeo and his friends showing up at the Capulet’s party uninvited. Later, out in the streets of Verona, he gets into an argument with Mercutio during which Romeo places himself between the two young men and Tybalt slashes Mercutio who later dies. He in turn is slain by Romeo. It is his death that Lady Capulet seeks to avenge by asking for Romeo’s banishment.
Count Paris
A distant relative of the Capulets, Paris expresses regret that the family is still feuding with the Montagues. Paris has told Juliet’s father more than once that he wishes to marry his daughter. Early in the play Capulet is reluctant to give his permission as he feels the girl is too young, although he encourages Paris to woo her and win her if he can. Later though, after Juliet has married Romeo, Capulet changes his mind and says Paris may marry his daughter.
Servants
A large number of servants appear in the play, both named and unnamed. Some are personal, such as Juliet’s nurse, Tybalt’s page, Romeo’s servant Balthazar, and Capulet’s Clown. The personal servants are there to fulfill any wish their master or mistress may have. Servants of a lower status perform more general tasks, such as those at the Capulets’ party. Some high-ranking servants have their own servants, for example, Nurse has a servant named Peter. Some of the servants are close to their employers and act in a somewhat familiar manner.
Apothecary
Romeo remembers an apothecary from whom he could buy poison, which, in his grief, he decides to take upon hearing of Juliet’s death. The penalty for selling poison is death but he also knows that the apothecary is a poor man and will take the risk. Romeo offers him a large amount of money and the poverty-stricken chemist sells him the poison.
Chorus
The chorus appears at the beginning of Act 1 and again at the beginning of Act 2. They provide the background for the story in the first prologue and then comment on the events that transpired in Act 1 in the Prologue for Act 2. The prologues are written in sonnet form.
Romeo is the only son of Lord and Lady Montague and belongs to one of the two most powerful families of Verona, which are bitter rivals. Romeo falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of the family of Capulet. He woos her quickly and they marry. Soon after, Romeo is involved in a brawl which results in the death of Tybalt (a Capulet) and in Romeo’s banishment from Verona. A plan to spend one last night with Juliet goes tragically awry when he believes she is dead and kills himself. When she sees what he has done, she kills herself as well.
Juliet
Juliet is a thirteen-year-old and the only child of her parents, Lord and Lady Capulet. Juliet has not yet been tempted by love but when she sees Romeo, who had crashed her parents’ party, she immediately falls in love with him. She is a strong-minded young lady who convinces Romeo that they should marry. Their marriage is then quickly arranged. Upon hearing that Romeo has been banished, she goes along with a plot hatched by Romeo’s priest and pretends to be dead. Romeo kills himself when he mistakenly believes that she is dead, which, in turn, leads to Juliet taking her own life.
Lord Capulet
Capulet is the head of one of Verona’s powerful families and is married to Lady Capulet. Although they have had several children, Juliet is the only surviving child. Lord Capulet gives a party in which he is unintentionally instrumental in bringing Romeo and Juliet together. His conversation with others implies that he is well past his youth. In the end, he agrees that the family feud with the Montagues has not been worth the deaths of the two young people.
Lady Capulet
Still a young woman, she remarks early in the play that she was about Juliet’s age when she gave birth to her. She is in charge of the Capulet household and the servants generally answer to her. She is concerned about making a good marriage for her daughter and instructs her to find a suitable handsome young man. It is Lady Capulet who pressures the Prince of Verona to banish Romeo.
Lord Montague
Lord and Lady Montague head the family that rival the Capulets for power in Verona. They have only one child: Romeo. Early in the play Montague shows an eagerness to physically brawl with the Capulets, but is held back by his wife. In the end Lord Montague agrees with his rival Capulet that the families’ feud must end if only to make sense of the deaths of their children.
Prince Escalus
Escalus is a Prince, higher in rank than either the Montagues or the Capulets, who drive him to frustration with their brawls and vendettas. After a nasty street fight between the rival families early in the play, he warns them to settle their disagreements without bloodshed or there will be serious repercussions for both sides. After Romeo kills Tybalt, the Prince takes the drastic measure of banishing the young man from Verona.
Friar Lawrence
The Montague family priest, Friar Lawrence has his own ‘cell’ where he lives quietly. He expresses fatherly concern for Romeo and although he vocally disapproves of the young man’s lovesick ways and immature behavior, decides to marry him and Juliet in an attempt to end the two families’ feud. A further plan to bring the couple together for one night after Romeo’s banishment backfires, and the couple die by their own hands. The priest convinces the rival families to make peace in the memory of their children.
Nurse
A talkative old servant, whose real name is Angelica, Nurse has been Juliet’s caregiver for many years; nursing her as a baby and clucking over her like a mother hen. She has an archive of stories to tell about her beloved Juliet and will recount them. Nurse provides some comic relief in her rambling conversations and her teasing of Juliet when the girl asks for news of Romeo. Nurse helps Friar Lawrence bring the two lovers together.
Mercutio (Mur-CU-Shee-oh)
A relative of Prince Escalus and friend of Romeo’s, he is bold and outgoing, always joking and seemingly takes nothing seriously. He spends much of his time in the play teasing Romeo for being in love with Rosaline, not realizing that Romeo has fallen for Juliet. After he is slashed by Tybalt’s sword, he blames Romeo for stepping between him and his rival during their duel. The wound does not seem to be serious at first, but he dies soon after.
Benvolio
A cousin and friend of Romeo’s, he is quieter and more thoughtful than Mercutio, more conservative and cautious, but still full of youthful energy and high spirits. He is instrumental in explaining to the Montagues, Capulets, and the Prince what happened during the course of the sword fight between Tybalt and Mercutio and Romeo’s involvement in Tybalt’s death.
Tybalt
Tybalt is a nephew of Lady Capulet’s who is quite close to Juliet. He is angry about Romeo and his friends showing up at the Capulet’s party uninvited. Later, out in the streets of Verona, he gets into an argument with Mercutio during which Romeo places himself between the two young men and Tybalt slashes Mercutio who later dies. He in turn is slain by Romeo. It is his death that Lady Capulet seeks to avenge by asking for Romeo’s banishment.
Count Paris
A distant relative of the Capulets, Paris expresses regret that the family is still feuding with the Montagues. Paris has told Juliet’s father more than once that he wishes to marry his daughter. Early in the play Capulet is reluctant to give his permission as he feels the girl is too young, although he encourages Paris to woo her and win her if he can. Later though, after Juliet has married Romeo, Capulet changes his mind and says Paris may marry his daughter.
Servants
A large number of servants appear in the play, both named and unnamed. Some are personal, such as Juliet’s nurse, Tybalt’s page, Romeo’s servant Balthazar, and Capulet’s Clown. The personal servants are there to fulfill any wish their master or mistress may have. Servants of a lower status perform more general tasks, such as those at the Capulets’ party. Some high-ranking servants have their own servants, for example, Nurse has a servant named Peter. Some of the servants are close to their employers and act in a somewhat familiar manner.
Apothecary
Romeo remembers an apothecary from whom he could buy poison, which, in his grief, he decides to take upon hearing of Juliet’s death. The penalty for selling poison is death but he also knows that the apothecary is a poor man and will take the risk. Romeo offers him a large amount of money and the poverty-stricken chemist sells him the poison.
Chorus
The chorus appears at the beginning of Act 1 and again at the beginning of Act 2. They provide the background for the story in the first prologue and then comment on the events that transpired in Act 1 in the Prologue for Act 2. The prologues are written in sonnet form.