Romeo and Juliet Study Guide Questions
Prologue
1.The play will feature two “households.”
Looking at the Characters List, who are the
two main households of the story?
2.Whom do the “pair of star-crossed lovers”
refer to? Why are they called such? What will
happen to the “star-crossed lovers?”
3.How long will this play last?
4.What is the purpose of The Prologue?
What literary device appears in it?
Act I, scene i
5. Who causes the fight in this first scene?
6. Who tries to stop the fight?
7. What is Tybalt’s attitude toward the fight? Cite a line to
support your claim.
8. The prince says that three times the Montagues and
Capulets have disturbed the city with their fighting. What
will be the penalty if they fight again?
9. Why is Romeo unhappy?
10.What advice does Benvolio offer Romeo to help him
forget about his troubles? Cite and interpret the line.
Scene ii
11. How old is Juliet?
12. What request does Paris make to Capulet? How does
Capulet respond?
13. Where do Benvolio and Romeo plan to go? Why?
Scene iii
14. Compare Juliet’s relationship to her mother, with her
relationship to her nurse.
15. What is Juliet’s attitude towards marriage? What about
towards Paris?
Scene iv
16. How does Romeo feel before the Capulet party? Cite a
line and interpret it.
17. What literary device does Romeo use to describe his
emotion?
18. Although Mercutio and Romeo are good friends, they
differ strongly in their attitude toward life. How are their
contrasting moods brought out in this scene? What
literary device describes their different characteristics?
Scene v
19. What is the general atmosphere at the Capulet party
when this scene opens?
20. How does Capulet respond to Tybalt’s attitude toward
Romeo? Why is this surprising?
21. Having fallen deeply in love, Romeo and Juliet make a
surprising discovery. What is it?
22. What does Juliet mean when she says, “My only love,
sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown,
and known too late!”?
23. How are Romeo and Juliet characterized in this scene,
based on their actions and speech?
California ELA CCSS: RL 9-10.1, 9-10.2, 9-10.3, 9-10.5
Act II, scene i
24. The prologue of Act II says that both Romeo and Juliet
are “Alike bewitched by the charm of looks.” What
does this mean?
25. What does Romeo do? Why?
26. Who do Benvolio and Mercutio believe Romeo is still
sad about?
Scene ii
27. What chance happening occurs in this scene?
28. Why does Romeo hesitate to reveal himself?
29. What does Juliet mean when she wonders “Wherefore
art thou Romeo?”
30. What does Juliet mean in her famous “What’s in a
name” speech? Explain it.
31. Why is Juliet embarrassed that Romeo hears her
thinking aloud?
32. What does Romeo want to swear his love by? Why
doesn’t Juliet want that?
33. How is Juliet characterized in this scene, as opposed
to Romeo?
34. Give an example of hyperbole from this scene.
35. What do the lovers plan to do the following day?
Scene iii
36. What is Friar Laurence’s reaction to Romeo’s request?
37. Why does the Friar finally
accept Romeo’s proposal?
38. What warning does the Friar
give to Romeo?
Scene iv
39. What does Benvolio reveal
has happened at the
Montague home?
40. How does Mercutio treat the
Nurse?
41. What message does the nurse give to Romeo?
Scene v
42. What is Juliet’s state of mind as she waits for the nurse
to return?
43. What is humorous about the scene when the nurse
finally appears?
Scene vi
44. Explain the metaphor behind Friar Laurence’s speech
before the wedding ceremony.
45. What advice does the Friar give the two lovers?
46. What happens offstage in this scene?
Act III, scene i
47. Describe the weather in the first scene. What literary
device does it make use of?
48. Who starts the fight in this scene? Why?
49. When Romeo enters the scene, what event of dramatic
irony is the audience aware of? Quote a line of this
revelation.
50. Why does Tybalt insist on fighting Romeo?
Ms. Tan/English 9
51.What happens to Mercutio,
and how does he respond?
What literary device is used?
52.Why does Romeo finally
assume responsibility?
53.What does Romeo mean
that he is “fortune’s fool?”
54.What is Romeo’s
punishment?
55.Does the Prince keep his
word from the first scene? How
is the Prince characterized?
Scene ii
56. What is the “mansion of love” that Juliet has bought?
57. What is the miscommunication that occurs between
Juliet and her Nurse?
58. Quote a line of oxymoron... Why does Juliet use this
device?
59. What causes her to change her attitude?
60. How are the events of the previous scene doubly hard
for Juliet?
61. What does the Nurse say she will do?
Scene iii
62. How does Shakespeare use personification to signal
the turning of the plot from romance to tragedy?
63. Why is the friar angry at Romeo?
64. What does Romeo almost do in this scene?
65. What arguments does the Friar use in attempting to
convince Romeo that his despair is
not justified?
66. What plan does Friar Laurence
devise?
67. What does the Nurse give Romeo
from Juliet? What is it a symbol of?
68. Where does Romeo set off to at the
end of the scene?
Scene iv
69. What does it mean that Juliet is
“mewed up to her heaviness?”
70. What day of the week is it?
71. What does Capulet decide? When?
Why?
72. As dramatic irony, what do we know is true?
Scene v
73. Why does Juliet dread the lark and hope the bird
singing is a nightingale?
74. What are Juliet’s fears as she and Romeo part? What
literary device does this use?
75. Why does Lady Capulet think Juliet is crying?
76. What literary devices does Juliet use to make her
mother think she is angry at Romeo?
77. How does Juliet react to Lady Capulet’s news?
78. What is Capulet’s reaction to Juliet’s response? How is
this different from what we’ve seen on him? Where is
this anger coming from?
California ELA CCSS: RL 9-10.1, 9-10.2, 9-10.3, 9-10.5
79. The nurse gives Juliet advice. Why does Juliet’s attitude
change because of this?
Act IV, scene i
80. What does Juliet have in her hand, and what is she
willing to do?
81. What is Friar Laurence’s daring scheme?
Scene ii
82. In carrying out the Friar’s instructions, what does Juliet
tell her parents?
83. The event is moved to Wednesday... How does this
affect the timing of the Friar’s plans?
Scene iii
84. What doubts come to Juliet’s mind as she takes the
potion?
85. Why does Juliet take the potion, despite of her fears?
Scene iv
86. What is going on in this scene, and why are the events
ironic to what the audience just witnessed?
Scene v
87. What are Juliet’s symptoms that are convincing to her
parents and the Nurse?
88. How does Capulet use personification to show his
sadness? Quote a line.
89. Explain the use of dramatic irony in this scene.
Act V, scene i
90.What does Balthasar report to Romeo?
91.What does Romeo mean when he says, “I defy
you, stars!”
92.How might Romeo’s actions be characterized?
93.Who does Romeo seek help from? In what
form?
94.Why does Romeo say that “I sell thee poison;
thou has sold me none?” How does he feel about
poison, and why?
Scene ii
95.What happened to Friar Laurence’s letter?
96.What must the Friar do now?
Scene iii
97. Whom does Romeo encounter in front of the Capulet’s
tomb? What happens?
98. What kind of irony is there about Romeo’s description
of Juliet’s beauty?
99. What does the audience suspect is about to happen to
Juliet, as Romeo speaks his last lines?
100.What does the Friar then do?
101.How does Juliet first attempt to take her life? How
does she succeed?
102.Who is originally blamed for the deaths in the tomb?
Why and how is it resolved?
103.Who is related to the Prince?
104.What is Montague going to do for Juliet, and what is
Capulet going to do for Romeo?
Ms. Tan/English 9