Romeo and Juliet
Study Guide
Characters
Capulets
Montagues
Juliet
Romeo
Lord Capulet
Lord Montague
Lady Capulet
Lady Montague
Tybalt
Benvolio
Old Man
Balthasar
Sampson
Abraham
Gregory
Nurse
Peter
Others
Escalus (Prince of Verona)
Mercutio
Paris
Friar Laurence
Friar John
Apothecary (Pharmacist)
Chorus (Narrator/Speaker)
Act One
Scene One
1. Who are the two feuding families?
2. What are the servants discussing in the opening of the play?
3. Why is Romeo upset?
4. What does Benvolio vow to do?
5. What suggests that Romeo is a man looking for someone to love?
6. There are references to the mythological god and goddess Cupid and Diana in this scene. What
significance do they have for Romeo in this scene?
7. The quarrel of the servants renews the feud. What does this illustrate?
8. Describe Benvolio.
9. Describe Tybalt.
10. What is a sorrow to Romeo?
Scene Two
1. How old is Juliet?
2. Who is in love with her?
3. What does Capulet tell Paris?
4. Where do Romeo and Benvolio decide to go at the end of the scene?
5. Why is Capulet not eager to renew a feud?
6. What is the main plot of the play?
7. What is the subplot of the play?
8. Where does the subplot begin?
Scene Three
1. What does Lady Capulet ask Juliet?
2. What is Juliet’s response to this question?
3. What is important about her response?
4. Now that you’ve met Juliet, do you think she and Romeo will make a good pair? How do their
attitudes about love compare?
5. To what extent do you believe that Juliet is capable of making mature decisions about love and
marriage at this point in the play?
Scenes Four and Five
1. What happens at the party that causes Romeo to forget Rosaline?
2. What do Romeo and Juliet realize about one another at the end of Act One?
3. Why wouldn’t Capulet let Tybalt attack/kill Romeo at the ball?
4. How do you account for Romeo and Juliet falling in love so quickly?
5. Most fairytales suggest that love will triumph in the end, and that everyone in the story will
live happily ever after. How does Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech differ from the usual fairytale
format? Is his speech a warning to Romeo?
6. What does Romeo call Juliet prior to kissing her?
7. What did she first ask the nurse about two other guys?
Act Two
Scene Two
1. What does Juliet mean when she says, “Deny thy father and refuse thy name?”
2. What plans do Romeo and Juliet make at the end of this scene?
3. What is a soliloquy?
4. What does he call her that tells her who it is speaking to her?
5. Why does she tell Romeo not to swear by the moon?
6. Explain the line: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
Scene Three
1. Why does Friar Laurence at first question Romeo’s love for Juliet?
2. Why does Friar Laurence agree to marry Romeo and Juliet?
Scene Four
1. What news does Benvolio have about Tybalt?
2. What does Romeo tell the nurse to tell Juliet?
3. Do you think the nurse is wise to act as an intermediary between Romeo and Juliet? Why?
Scenes Five and Six
1. Explain the misunderstanding between the nurse and Juliet.
2. Where does Juliet go at the end of this act? Why?
3. What creates the tremendous tension in scene five?
4. At this point in the relationship between Romeo and Juliet, which of the two do you believe is
really in control of the wedding plans?
5. Explain the line: “Violent passions have violent ends.”
Act Three
Scene One
1. How does Romeo respond to Tybalt’s insults?
2. What happens to Mercutio?
3. What happens to Tybalt?
4. What is the Prince’s response to this?
5. To where is Romeo banished?
6. What is the climax of the story?
7. When Mercutio says “a curse o’ both your houses”, he is really voicing one of the central
themes of the play. Why is it ironic that he says this?
8. Why does the prince question Benvolio about the fight?
9. Why does Lady Capulet believe there were twenty men fighting?
Scene Two
1. What misunderstanding does Juliet have with the nurse as the nurse tries to tell her about
Tybalt and Romeo?
2. What is Juliet’s first response to hearing the news of Tybalt’s death? Her second response?
3. How has the role of day and night been changed?
4. What does the serpent represent?
Scenes Three and Four
1. Why does Romeo have to ask what his sentence is?
2. What is the Friar’s plan?
3. What agreement does Paris make with Capulet?
4. Why do you think the nurse wants to assist Romeo and Juliet?
5. Why does Friar Laurence repeat the phrase “You are fortunate”?
Scene Five
1. What news does Lady Capulet give to Juliet?
2. What is Juliet’s response?
3. How does Lord Capulet respond?
4. What advice does the nurse give?
5. Whose advice does Juliet decide to seek?
6. Why does Juliet agree to do that which her father has asked?
7. Romeo and Juliet talk about their relationship and again use night and day images. Why do
they seem to prefer darkness over light?
Act Four
Scene One
1. What is Friar Laurence’s idea?
Scene Two
1. What lie does Juliet tell her father when he asks her where she has been?
2. Does Juliet tell the nurse of her plan?
3. Why do you think the wedding day is pushed ahead from Thursday to Wednesday?
Scene Three
1. What does Juliet plan to do if the potion doesn’t work?
2. What does Juliet worry briefly about before she drinks the potion?
Scene Five
1. Who discovers Juliet’s body?
2. What does Friar Laurence encourage Capulet to do after discovering Juliet’s death?
3. Based on previous evidence and on previous decisions that you have reached, do you believe
that Capulet is sincere when he says, “And with my child my joys are buried”? Why did it take
him so long to realize how much his daughter meant to him?
4. How is Friar Laurence’s remark “The woman is best married who dies a young bride” a
misstatement?
Act Five
Scene One
1. What news does Balthasar bring to Romeo?
2. What does Romeo decide to do immediately after hearing the news?
3. Who does Romeo go to see and why?
Scene Two
1. What does Friar Laurence discover in this scene?
Scene Three
1. What happens to Paris?
2. Why did Romeo go to the tomb?
3. What does Juliet discover when she awakens?
4. How does Juliet try to kill herself?
5. How does she successfully do it?
6. Explain the line: “Dead man, lie there, buried by a dead man.”
7. Why is it ironic that Juliet calls the friar “O comforting friar”?
8. Who does the prince say is to blame?