Romeo and Juliet
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Character List
Romeo -
The
son and heir of Montague and Lady Montague. A young man of about
sixteen, Romeo is handsome, intelligent, and sensitive. Though impulsive
and immature, his idealism and passion make him an extremely likable
character. He lives in the middle of a violent feud between his
family and the Capulets, but he is not at all interested in violence.
His only interest is love. At the beginning of the play he is madly
in love with a woman named Rosaline, but the instant he lays eyes
on Juliet, he falls in love with her and forgets Rosaline. Thus,
Shakespeare gives us every reason to question how real Romeo’s new
love is, but Romeo goes to extremes to prove the seriousness of
his feelings. He secretly marries Juliet, the daughter of his father’s
worst enemy; he happily takes abuse from Tybalt; and he would rather
die than live without his beloved. Romeo is also an affectionate
and devoted friend to his relative Benvolio, Mercutio, and Friar Lawrence.
Read an in-depth analysis of Romeo.
Juliet -
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.
Read an in-depth analysis of Juliet.
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.
Mercutio -
A
kinsman to the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend. One of the most
extraordinary characters in all of Shakespeare’s plays, Mercutio
overflows with imagination, wit, and, at times, a strange, biting
satire and brooding fervor. Mercutio loves wordplay, especially
sexual double entendres. He can be quite hotheaded, and hates people
who are affected, pretentious, or obsessed with the latest fashions.
He finds Romeo’s romanticized ideas about love tiresome, and tries
to convince Romeo to view love as a simple matter of sexual appetite.
Read an in-depth analysis of Mercutio.
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.
Tybalt -
A
Capulet, Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side. Vain, fashionable,
supremely aware of courtesy and the lack of it, he becomes aggressive,
violent, and quick to draw his sword when he feels his pride has
been injured. Once drawn, his sword is something to be feared. He loathes
Montagues.
Capulet -
The
patriarch of the Capulet family, father of Juliet, husband of Lady
Capulet, and enemy, for unexplained reasons, of Montague. He truly
loves his daughter, though he is not well acquainted with Juliet’s
thoughts or feelings, and seems to think that what is best for her is
a “good” match with Paris. Often prudent, he commands respect and
propriety, but he is liable to fly into a rage when either is lacking.
Lady Capulet -
Juliet’s
mother, Capulet’s wife. A woman who herself married young (by her
own estimation she gave birth to Juliet at close to the age of fourteen),
she is eager to see her daughter marry Paris. She is an ineffectual
mother, relying on the Nurse for moral and pragmatic support.
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.
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.
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.
Friar John -
A
Franciscan friar charged by Friar Lawrence with taking 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 a ruse.
Sampson & Gregory -
Two servants of the house of Capulet, who, like their
master, hate the Montagues. At the outset of the play, they successfully
provoke some Montague men into a fight.
The Apothecary -
An
apothecary in Mantua. Had he been wealthier, he might have been
able to afford to value his morals more than money, and refused
to sell poison to Romeo.
Peter -
A
Capulet servant who invites guests to Capulet’s feast and escorts
the Nurse to meet with Romeo. He is illiterate, and a bad singer.
Are you ready for the test?
Quick Quiz >>
Translation
by DenerioWillis19, October 18, 2012
I really like how they translated the quotes into modern day time.
Thanks.
92 out of 119 people found this helpful
6Vague translation
by darklove123, December 17, 2012
Everything in the translation is correct, but a huge part was not included. The last few sentences which makes a HUGE difference, Shakespeare said not to be stupid and think the play is about what the SPARKNOTES TRANSLATION says. In fact he says star-crossed lovers are not real and not to depend on it, our futures are determined by us, and not some stupid stars. He wrote this entire play to make the point Romeo and Juliet are only the symptoms of the tragedy. The tragedy is the loss of humanity in Verona as you can see in the play.... Sorry
45 out of 66 people found this helpful
1Dramatic Irony
by Shookie219, December 18, 2012
This site is wonderful but it doesn't point out some literary elements I think it should such as dramatic irony. In Act IV Scene I one of the first occurrences of dramatic irony is that Paris believes Juliet is weeping over Tybalt's death but she is weeping over Romeo which the audience knows.
It would be nice to have dramatic irony's pointed out a little!
41 out of 55 people found this helpful
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