Romeo
The sixteen-year-old
son of Montague and Lady Montague. He is cousins with Benvolio, and friends with Mercutio and Friar
Laurence. Romeo's defining characteristic is the intensity of his
emotions—whether in anger, love, or despair. Romeo is also intelligent,
quick-witted, loved by his friends, and not a bad swordsmen. Over the course of
the play, Romeo grows from a an adolescent who claims to be in love with Rosaline, but in reality seems more in love with
the idea of love and with being a miserable wretch in the mold of classical
love poets, to a young man who shares a deep and passionate love with Juliet and is willing to face the obstacles of
friends, family, the law, fate, and, ultimately, death in order to be with her.
The daughter of Capulet and
Lady Capulet. A beautiful thirteen-year-old girl, Juliet begins the play as a
naïve child who has thought little about love and marriage, but she grows up
quickly upon falling in love with Romeo, the son of her family’s great enemy.
Because she is a girl in an aristocratic family, she has none of the freedom
Romeo has to roam around the city, climb over walls in the middle of the night,
or get into swordfights. Nevertheless, she shows amazing courage in trusting
her entire life and future to Romeo, even refusing to believe the worst reports
about him after he gets involved in a fight with her cousin. Juliet’s closest
friend and confidant is her nurse, though she’s willing to shut the Nurse out
of her life the moment the Nurse turns against Romeo.
Mercutio
Kinsman to the prince and friend of Romeo. His name comes from the
word mercury,
the element which indicates his quick temper. Mercutio is bawdy, talkative, and
tries to tease Romeo out of his melancholy frame of mind. He accepts Tybalt's
challenge to defend Romeo's honor and is killed, thus precipitating Romeo's
enraged reaction during which Romeo kills Tybalt.
Friar Lawrence
A Franciscan friar, friend to both Romeo and Juliet. Kind, civic-minded, a proponent of moderation, and always ready with a plan, Friar Lawrence secretly marries the impassioned lovers in hopes that the union might eventually bring peace to Verona. As well as being a Catholic holy man, Friar Lawrence is also an expert in the use of seemingly mystical potions and herbs.
A Franciscan friar, friend to both Romeo and Juliet. Kind, civic-minded, a proponent of moderation, and always ready with a plan, Friar Lawrence secretly marries the impassioned lovers in hopes that the union might eventually bring peace to Verona. As well as being a Catholic holy man, Friar Lawrence is also an expert in the use of seemingly mystical potions and herbs.
Rosaline
Rosaline is the gorgeous and aloof woman Romeo crushes on until he
meets the love of his life, Juliet. Rosaline has no speaking part, never
appears on stage (according to the stage directions), and isn't even listed in
the dramatis personae (the cast list). So, why the heck are we talking
about Rosaline in our "Character Analysis" when it's quite possible
that she doesn't even exist? Well, we may not hear directly from
Rosaline (or even see her unless we watch, say, Zeffirelli's 1968 film
adaptation of the play), but we do hear a lot about her from one of the
play's major characters, Romeo.
The Nurse
Juliet’s nurse, the woman who breast-fed Juliet when she was a baby and has cared for Juliet her entire life. A vulgar, long-winded, and sentimental character, the Nurse provides comic relief with her frequently inappropriate remarks and speeches. But, until a disagreement near the play’s end, the Nurse is Juliet’s faithful confidante and loyal intermediary in Juliet’s affair with Romeo. She provides a contrast with Juliet, given that her view of love is earthy and sexual, whereas Juliet is idealistic and intense. The Nurse believes in love and wants Juliet to have a nice-looking husband, but the idea that Juliet would want to sacrifice herself for love is incomprehensible to her.
Juliet’s nurse, the woman who breast-fed Juliet when she was a baby and has cared for Juliet her entire life. A vulgar, long-winded, and sentimental character, the Nurse provides comic relief with her frequently inappropriate remarks and speeches. But, until a disagreement near the play’s end, the Nurse is Juliet’s faithful confidante and loyal intermediary in Juliet’s affair with Romeo. She provides a contrast with Juliet, given that her view of love is earthy and sexual, whereas Juliet is idealistic and intense. The Nurse believes in love and wants Juliet to have a nice-looking husband, but the idea that Juliet would want to sacrifice herself for love is incomprehensible to her.
Tybalt
Lady Capulet's
nephew and Juliet's cousin. Tybalt is violent and hot-tempered, with a strong
sense of honor. He challenges Romeo to a duel in response to Romeo's attending
a Capulet party. His challenge to Romeo is taken up by Mercutio, whom Tybalt
kills. Romeo then kills Tybalt.
Capulet
Juliet's father is quick-tempered and impetuous but is initially
reluctant to consent to Juliet's marriage with Paris because Juliet is so
young. Later, he changes his mind and angrily demands that Juliet obey his
wishes. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet reconcile Capulet and Montague.
Lady Capulet
Juliet's
mother, and Capulet's wife. A woman who
married Capulet when she was Juliet's age (thirteen), she loves her daughter
but is a flighty woman and an ineffectual mother who left most of the raising
of her daughter to the Nurse. When it comes
to marriage, Lady Capulet believes more in the material happiness a "good
match" can bring than in love.
Montague
Romeo’s
father, the patriarch of the Montague clan and bitter enemy of Capulet. At the
beginning of the play, he is chiefly concerned about Romeo’s melancholy.
Lady Montague
Romeo’s
mother, Montague’s wife. She dies of grief after Romeo is exiled from Verona.
Paris
A kinsman of the Prince, and the suitor of
Juliet most preferred by Capulet. Once Capulet has promised him he can marry
Juliet, he behaves very presumptuous toward her, acting as if they are already
married.
The Prince of
Verona
The Prince of Verona does the best he can to keep the peace, but he
can't restrain the violence between the Montagues and the Capulets. If the
Prince can't do anything about the feud, it means that the law (which
the Prince embodies) is powerless against the passions of hate and of love.
BenvolioMontague’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.
Prince Escalus
The Prince of Verona. A kinsman of Mercutio and Paris. As the seat of political power in Verona, he is concerned about maintaining the public peace at all costs.
Peter
A
Capulet servant attending the Nurse.
Abram
A servant to
Montague.
Sampson
Servant of the
Capulet household.
Gregory
Servant of the
Capulet household.
Balthasar
Romeo's servant.
Samson
and Gregory
Capulet servants.
Abraham
Montague's servant.
Peter
An illiterate Capulet servant.
The Apothecary
A poor apothecary (a drug seller) in Mantua.
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