Romeo and Juliet Act I Reading Guide
1. Put the Prologue of this play into your own words. (10-14 sentences)
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2. Put the characters we have read about so far into the following chart:
In addition to naming the character, also give a brief description.
Capulet
Montague
Capulet—head of the Capulet family;
Juliet’s father
Abram(Abraham)—a servant of
the Montagues; gets into a fight
w/Capulet servants
Neither
If I ask you to use lines from the play to support your answer, it means to go to the
specific part of the scene that the question relates to and quote a couple of lines from
that section that relate to what you have explained. Number three is done as an
example. Full sentences responses for these questions.
3. What are Sampson and Gregory doing when the play begins? Explain your position,
then use lines from the play to support your answer.
Sampson is bragging about what he would do to the Montagues. Sampson says, “A dog
of that house shall move me to stand. I will take the wall of any man or maid of
Montague’s.” Gregory is making fun of Sampson. He says to Sampson, “That shows
thee a weak slave, for the weakest take the wall.”
4. Whose arrival causes them to stop and pick a fight? Explain your position then use
lines from the play to support your answer.
5. How would you describe Benvolio based on his behavior at the fight and how he
relates to Romeo? In what ways is Tybalt an opposite of him? Explain your position then
use lines from the play to support your answer.
6. What does Prince Escalus decree after he breaks up the fight?
7. Why are Montague and Lady Montague concerned about Romeo in scene one? Why
does Benvolio think he can be more helpful than Romeo’s parents? Explain and use lines
from the play that support it.
8. What does Benvolio discover is wrong with his cousin, Romeo? Explain.
9. What does Benvolio suggest Romeo do to fix the problem? Why doesn’t Romeo agree
with Benvolio’s advice? Answer each and prove it using lines from the play.
10. What 2 characters are on stage in the beginning of scene 2? What are they discussing?
11. Why does Capulet not agree with Paris? What does Capulet propose instead as a
compromise? Summarize Capulet’s answer and counter proposal to Paris in 4-5
sentences.
12. Why does Benvolio want to go the Capulet party? Explain and support with lines
from the play.
13. Why does Romeo want to go to the Capulet party? Explain and support with lines
from the play.
14. What kind of character is the nurse? (Remember to use lines from the play to show
support.)
15. Why does Lady Capulet want to talk to her daughter, Juliet, in scene 3?
16. How does Juliet react to this discussion?
17. Read lines 91-102 from Lady Capulet on page 41. What two things are being
compared? How would Juliet “fit” into this comparison?
18. Where does scene 4 take place? Who are the main characters in this scene. Who is the
new character introduced? (no support from play needed here)
19. How does Romeo feel? Explain and support with lines from this scene.
20. Why do you think Mercutio tells this long story about Queen Mab? Give me your
opinion and a couple of lines from his speech that shows this.
21. Reread Romeo’s last lines in the scene (p. 51, lines 116-124). What happened to
Romeo that he is so fearful of going to this party? Use the lines I told you to read to
support your answer.
22. Where are we in scene 5? Just explain the setting.
23. Tell me two things Capulet says to lighten the mood of the party and/or encourage
people to have fun. Put a line or two from Capulet’s welcome speech into your own
words.
24. Which Capulet has discovered that Montagues have crashed the party? How does he
feel about this intrusion? Name the character and explain his or her reaction. Use lines
from the play to support your answer.
25. How does Capulet react when he is told of this intrusion? Explain and support with
lines from the play.
26. Reread the first meeting between Romeo and Juliet on page 59. What comparison is
Romeo making? How is this comparison extended throughout this encounter? Explain
your answer and support it with lines from the play. Then show me at least two other
examples that demonstrate the same comparison being extended in later lines on that
same page.
27. What does Juliet mean when she says, “Go ask his name—If he be married,
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.”?
28. What do the lovers discover about one another at the end of Act I that makes them
both extremely upset? Explain and support this with lines from the play.
General Questions
1. This play takes place in the city of ________________________. This city is in
actuality a city-________________ because the ruler is the ultimate power, not someone
outside of the city.
2. The two houses who are feuding are the _____________________ and the
_________________________.
3. Juliet is only _______________________ years old. She will be
_______________________ in about two weeks.
4. Mercutio and Paris have something in common—both are related to
_____________________________.