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Mrs. Guin
English 9 Honors
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ROMEO AND JULIET: Reading Guide
I. VOCABULARY: Be able to define the following words and understand them when they
appear in the play.
ACT I
ACT II
pernicious
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posterity
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anguish
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profane
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adjacent
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retain
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perverse
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rancor
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ACT III
eloquence
adversity
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predicament
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fickle
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ACT IV
lurk
ACT V
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stifle
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revive
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lament
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misadventure ______________________________________________________________________________
haughty
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unsavory
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tedious
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II. GLOSSARY OF TERMS: Be able to define each term and apply each term to the play.
Act—A main division of drama. Shakespeare’s plays consist of five acts with each act
subdivided into scenes
Alliteration—The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in two or more
consecutive or closely associated words. Example: “Now old desire dot in his
deathbed lie.”
Allusion—A reference to a literary or historical person or event to explain a present
situation. Allusion from mythology: “She’ll not be hit/ With Cupid’s arrow. She hath
Dian’s wit…”
Aside—A brief remark made by a character and intended to be heard by the audience but
not by other characters.
Comic relief—A humorous scene or speech in a serious drama which is meant to provide
relief from emotional intensity, and, by contrast, heighten the seriousness of the
story.
Foreshadowing—A hint of what is to come in the story. This is often used to keep the
audience in a state of expectancy.
Imagery—The term used to describe words or phrases that appeal to the five senses.
Figurative language may create images, but not all images are figures of speech.
Irony—A contrast between what is and what appears to be. One type of irony is verbal, in
which a character says one thing and means another. Another is dramatic irony, in
which the audience knows what the characters do not. The last is situational irony,
in which the outcome of a situation is opposite of what is expected.
Metaphor—A figure of speech that implies or states a comparison between two unlike
things which are similar in some way. Unlike similes, metaphors do not use like or
as.
Example: “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.”
Oxymoron—A contrast of two contradictory terms for the sake of emphasis. Example: “A
damned saint, and honourable villain.”
Personification—A figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to inanimate
objects, animals, or ideas. Example: “Jocund day/ Stands tiptoe on the misty
mountain tops.”
Scene—A small unit of a play in which there is no shift of locale or time.
Simile—A figure of speech that states a comparison between two essentially unlike things
which are similar in one aspect. Similes are phrased with like or as. Example: “She
hangs upon the cheek of night/ Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear.”
Soliloquy—A speech given by a character alone on the stage. The purpose of a soliloquy is
to let the audience know what the character is thinking and feeling.
Tragedy—A type of drama of human conflict which ends in defeat and suffering. Often the
main character (dignified, noble) has a tragic flaw (weakness of character, wrong
judgment) which leads to his or her destruction. Sometimes the conflict is with
forces beyond the control of the character—fate, evil in the world.
III. Questions: Answer the following questions on your own paper. You do not have to rewrite the
questions.
Prologue:
1. In what city does this play take place?
2. Why are Romeo and Juliet called “star-cross’d lovers”?
Act I, Scene i:
1. What contrasts do you see between Gregory and Samson? [p. 698]
2. What have you learned so far about the grudge between the Capulets and the Montagues? [p.
699]
3. Who is fighting at the beginning of the first scene?
4. Who tries to break up the fighting?
5. Summarize what has happened thus far in Scene 1. [p. 700]
6. What does this comment indicate about the difference between Benvolio and Tybalt? [p. 701]
7. What threat does the Prince make to Lord Montague and Lord Capulet?
8. Summarize the prince’s words to the crowd. What is his attitude toward the brawls between
the Capulets and Montagues? [p.702]
9. Benvolio and Montague describe the way Romeo has been acting. What do they have to say
about him?
10. What information did Benvolio extract from Romeo? Why is Romeo sad? Explain. [p. 703]
11. Identify the oxymorons in Romeo’s speech in lines 170-178.
12. What do we learn about the woman Romeo loves in the speech in lines 203-210? [p. 705]
13. What is Benvolio’s advice to Romeo?
14. How would you summarize Romeo and Benvolio’s conversation? [p. 706]
Act I, Scene ii:
1. Why does Capulet think it will be easy for Montague and him to keep the peace?
2. What does Paris ask about Capulet?
3. What is Capulet’s first answer?
4. A bit later Capulet appears to change his mind about Paris’ question. What does he then tell
Paris?
5. What problem does the servant have?
6. How does the character of the servant provide contrast to the characters who have just been
talking? [p. 707]
7. Explain Romeo’s metaphor in line 55 when he says, “Shut up in prison, kept without my food.”
8. What is the name of the woman Romeo loves?
9. What do Benvolio and Romeo learn from the servant? What do Benvolio propose they do with
the information? [p. 708]
Act I, Scene iii:
1. How old is Juliet?
2. How do the Nurse and Lady Capulet differ? How do their characters contrast? [p. 710]
3. How would you characterize Lady Capulet’s response to the Nurse’s funny story? [p. 710]
4. When Lady Capulet asks Juliet how she feels about marriage, what is Juliet’s answer?
5. Compare and contrast the reactions of the Nurse and Lady Capulet in this scene. What is the
focus and principal concern of each character?
6. Summarize Lady Capulet’s attempt to persuade her daughter. How does Juliet respond?
7. With what literary element does Shakespeare end Scene 3?
Act I, Scene iv:
1. How does Mercutio’s attitude and energy level differ from Romeo’s? What does the contrast
between the two characters lend to the scene? [p. 713]
2. According to Mercutio, who or what is Queen Mab, and what does she or it do?
3. What does Mercutio say about dreams?
4. What examples of simile, metaphor, and personification do you find in Mercutio’s speech in
lines 98-103?
5. What does Romeo reveal in lines 106-110? [p. 715]
6. What is Romeo’s mood at the end of this scene? Explain.
Act I, Scene v:
1. Summarize the dialogue in lines 14-37. [p. 717]
2. What does Romeo think of Juliet the first time he sees her?
3. How does Tybalt recognize Romeo?
4. When Tybaltt is ready to seize Romeo and throw him out of the party, what does Capulet say to
Tybalt?
5. What differences in attitude and tone do you see between Tybalt and Capulet? Why do they
respond so differently to the maskers? [p. 718]
6. Summarize the conversation between Romeo and Juliet.
7. How does Romeo find out Juliet’s last name?
8. How does Juliet find out Romeo’s last name?
9. What does Juliet mean when she says “My only love, sprung from my only hate!”?
Act II, Scene i:
1. What is Mercutio’s attitude toward Romeo’s love sickness? [p. 723]
2. What does Mercutio say about “blind love”?
Act II, Scene ii:
1. What “wound” does Romeo suggest that Mercutio has never felt? [p. 724]
2. When Juliet appears on her balcony, what does Romeo compare her to?
3. How does Juliet “speak, yet . . . [say] nothing”?
4. What figure of speech is Romeo using in line 13? Explain. [p. 725]
5. When Juliet leans her cheek on her hand, what does Romeo say?
6. Unaware of his presence, what does Juliet ask Romeo to say?
7. In a sentence or two, explain what Juliet says about names.
8. Why does Romeo say this? What does it suggest about his attitude toward the feud between
the Capulets and the Montagues?
9. What figure of speech does Juliet use in lines 58-59? What words does Shakespeare use to
suggest the strength of Juliet’s love?
10. Juliet asks how Romeo got into her place. The orchard walls are high, and Romeo’s life would
be in danger if her relatives were to find him there. What is Romeo’s response to these
questions?
11. Why is Juliet embarrassed?
12. Why does Juliet compare her and Romeo’s declarations of love to lightning in lines 119-120?
What is the point of the metaphor in lines 121-122? [p. 728]
13. Why do you think Juliet wants to marry Juliet? [p. 729]
14. What idea is communicated by the simile in lines 156-157? Restate it in your own words. [p.
730]
15. Juliet is going to send someone to Romeo on the following day for what purpose?
Act II, Scene iii:
1. What has friar Laurence been out gathering in his basket?
2. Explain lines 21-22: “Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied,/And vice sometime by action
dignified”?
3. When Friar Laurence sees Romeo, what comment does Friar Laurence make about seeing
Romeo so early in the morning?
4. What does Friar Laurence mean when he says to Romeo, “Young men’s love then lies not truly
in their hearts, but in their eyes?
5. Why is the Friar motivated to help Romeo? [p. 734]
Act II, Scene iv:
1. According to Mercutio, what kind of man is Tybalt?
2. How is Juliet to arrange to meet Romeo?
Act II, Scene v:
1. The nurse is supposed to be gone only a half hour, but she is actually gone for how long?
2. How is the nurse behaving that is frustrating to Juliet?
Act II, Scene vi:
1. Identify the simile in the Friar’s warning. What does this simile add to the drama of the scene?
[p. 743]
2. How would you describe the mood, or feeling, of this scene? Why did Shakespeare create such
a mood? [p. 744]
Act III, Scene i:
1. At the beginning of the scene, why does Benvolio think that there will be a fight?
2. What does Mercutio accuse Benvolio of in lines 15-30?
3. When Tybalt and Mercutio first begin arguing, what does Benvolio try to them to do?
4. What does Tybalt call Romeo?
5. Why won’t Romeo fight Tybalt?
6. What does Mercutio think is the reason Romeo refuses to fight?
7. Why does Mercutio keep repeating, “A plague o’ both your houses”?
8. What does Romeo say that Juliet’s love has done to him?
9. Why does Romeo call himself “fortune’s fool”?
10. When Benvolio relates to the Prince what happened, what does he say Romeo tried to before
Mercutio was killed?
11. What does Lady Capulet accuse Benvolio of? Why?
12. What is Romeo’s punishment for killing Tybalt?
Act III, Scene ii:
1. Why is Juliet so impatient for the nurse to return?
2. Describe Juliet’s rapidly changing attitudes toward Romeo in this scene.
3. What piece of news has upset Juliet the most?
4. What does the nurse promise to do?
Act III, Scene iii:
1. Explain Romeo’s reaction to the news of his banishment.
2. Romeo tells Friar Laurence that the priest cannot know or understand how Romeo feels. Why?
3. What argument does Friar Laurence use to prevent Romeo from killing himself?
4. What does the nurse give to Romeo?
Act III, Scene iv:
1. What does Capulet tell his wife to say to Juliet?
2. What conflict will Juliet have with her parents?
Act III, Scene v:
1. As Romeo is preparing to leave Juliet, what argument does she use to convince him to stay?
2. How does Romeo show his love for Juliet? [p. 765]
3. Later, why does Juliet think Romeo should leave?
4. Just as Romeo is about to descend the rope ladder and leave Juliet, what does Juliet say about
the way Romeo looks?
5. Why does Lady Capulet think Juliet is crying?
6. When Lady Capulet threatens to send someone to Mantua to poison Romeo, what does Juliet
say?
7. What double meaning can be read into lines 93-102? [p. 769]
8. After Lady Capulet breaks the news about Paris, what is Juliet’s response?
9. If Juliet’s mother does not arrange to delay the marriage, what will Juliet do?
10. What is Capulet’s reaction to Juliet’s threats?
11. What is ironic about Lady Capulet’s words in line 140?
12. What is the nurse’s advice to Juliet?
13. How does Juliet’s attitude toward the nurse change?
14. What “scheme” does Juliet devise to get rid of the nurse and to get out of the house?
15. In Juliet’s soliloquy (lines 235-242), what mood does Juliet express?
Act IV, Scene i:
1. Why is Friar Laurence reluctant to marry Paris to Juliet?
2. How does Paris explain the sudden haste of the marriage plans?
3. What is ironic about the conversation between Juliet and Paris?
4. If Friar Laurence cannot help her, what does Juliet threaten to do?
5. Why does Friar Laurence think that Juliet will accept his plan?
6. Summarize the friar’s plan for Juliet.
Act IV, Scene ii:
1. How would you describe the change in mood and tone in the opening lines of Scene 2?
2. What does Juliet say that makes her father happy?
3. Why is Capulet’s statement in lines 31-32 ironic? [p. 780]
4. How does Capulet change the wedding plans? What implication does this have?
Act IV, Scene iii:
1. How does Juliet show her maturity and independence in this scene?
2. If the potion does not work, what will Juliet do?
3. What are some of the fears Juliet has about the potion?
4. How does Juliet imagine the burial vault? How does the imagery in this passage make you feel
about Juliet waking up in such a place? [p. 782]
Act IV, Scene iv:
1. Summarize what is happening in this brief scene.
2. Why is this scene ironic?
Act IV, Scene v:
1. What information does the audience have that the Nurse lacks? How does this irony help to
create tension? [p. 784]
2. Why does Capulet compare death to an “untimely frost” and Juliet to “the sweetest flower of all
the field”?
3. What does Friar Laurence say to comfort the Capulet family?
4. What event are the Capulets now preparing for?
5. What does the final dialogue between the musicians suggest about human nature?
Act V, Scene i:
1. What news does Balthasar bring Romeo?
2. What does Romeo mean when he says, “Then I defy you, stars!”?
3. What actions does Balthasar’s news prompt Romeo to do?
Act V, Scene ii:
1. What does Friar John tell Friar Laurence?
2. After hearing this news from Friar John, what does Friar Laurence intend to do?
Act V, Scene iii:
1. Why is Paris at Juliet’s tomb?
2. Romeo gives Balthasar two reasons for entering the Capulet’s tomb. What are those two
reasons?
3. Why does Paris think that Romeo has come to the tomb?
4. What is it about Juliet that should have told Romeo that she was not dead?
5. Why doesn’t Friar Laurence stay in the tomb with Juliet after she awakens?
6. Why does Juliet kiss Romeo after he is dead?
7. When Montague first arrives on the scene, what does he tell those gathered?
8. Relate the events that lead to Romeo and Juliet’s death as they are told by Friar Laurence near
the play’s end.
9. What information does Romeo’s letter give?
10. How do Montague and Capulet plan to honor the memories of their children?