Romeo and Juliet Reading Questions
Act I Questions
Prologue
1. What do we learn from the prologue?
2. What is the purpose of the prologue?
Scene I
1. Describe the relationship that Gregory and Sampson have.
2. What does Sampson do when he sees the Montague servants and why?
a. Why does he take this action back?
b. What do the servants’ actions reveal about the conflict between the two families?
3. How do Tybalt’s actions differ from Benvolio’s? How would you describe each cast member
from what we know about them so far?
4. How do Lady Capulet and Lady Montague differ from their husbands?
5. What warning does the Prince give the two families?
6. In lines 109-116, find the metaphor in Benvolio’s response to Lady Capulet. What image does
this metaphor create and what information is obtained?
7. Lines 117-123: What was Benvolio doing when he saw Romeo?
8. How does Lord Capulet describe Romeo and his current actions? Why is Romeo acting this way?
9. What further insight do we gain from the conversation between Romeo and Benvolio?
Scene II
1. What is Paris’ purpose to visiting Lord Capulet?
a. What is Capulet’s response to Paris? Why does he respond this way?
2. What insight do we gain from the servant in lines 38-43?
3. Describe the interaction between Romeo and the servant.
4. Does the servant truly invite Romeo and Benvolio to the party, why or why not?
5. What is Benvolio saying to Romeo on page 193? What is Romeo’s response to Benvolio?
Scene III
1. Why does Lady Capulet send Nurse away but call her back on lines 8-11?
2. Describe the relationship that Nurse and Juliet have compared to the relationship that Juliet and
Lady Capulet have. Use evidence from the text throughout this scene to support your answer.
3. What is the purpose of Nurse’s tangent about Juliet in lines 17-49?
4. How does Juliet feel about marriage compared to her mother?
Scene IV
1. Describe the type of relationship that Mercutio and Romeo have. Describe the conversation that
the two have.
2. Describe the mood from the photograph on page 198.
3. What is the purpose of Mercutio’s speech? What does it mean? What does it to concerning the
advancement of the play? How would you describe Mercutio here?
4. Decipher Romeo’s dream: what is he saying? What does his dream mean? What is the
importance of knowing Romeo’s dream based off of the knowledge we have of the play?
Scene V
1. Scene 4 closes in the complete opposite of how scene 5 opens. What is the purpose of closing
scene 4 and opening up scene 5 in this manner?
2. Identify hyperboles and similes from lines 42-51. What purpose do these serve?
3. How does Lord Capulet respond to Romeo’s presence at his party? Why does he respond this
way?
4. Make an inference about why Lord Capulet changes his reply from lines 119-125.
Act II Questions
Prologue
1. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROSALINE AND JULIET IN TERMS OF HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT ROMEO?
2. WHAT CONFLICT DO ROMEO AND JULIET FACE?
Scene I
1. Explain the metaphor Romeo uses to describe Juliet. What does this metaphor express about his
feelings for her?
2. In lines 17-32, explain the dramatic irony found here. Use evidence from the text. Why might
Romeo’s friends be concerned?
3. What do you think of Mercutio additionally from this scene?
Scene II
1. When does Romeo go to Capulet’s orchard?
2. What is revealed through Romeo’s soliloquy? To what does Romeo compare Juliet to?
3. Based off of what we know about Juliet, what is significant about what Juliet says in lines 33-36?
4. When does Juliet realize that someone is at her balcony?
5. Why does Romeo address Juliet as “saint” when he calls for her? How does she know that it is
Romeo calling for her?
6. Summarize Romeo and Juliet’s conversation on page 212.
7. What does Juliet demand of Romeo in lines 142-149; what are her motives?
8. Why is Romeo going to see Friar Laurence?
Scene III
1. Look at lines 9-20, what is Friar Laurence trying to convey?
2. In lines 1-30, what is Friar Laurence’s warning about people and plants? What might this be
foreshadowing?
3. Based off of the picture on page 215, how would you describe the relationship between Friar
Laurence and Romeo?
4. What are Romeo’s intentions of seeing Friar Laurence? How does this add on to the dramatic
irony?
5. How does Romeo react to hearing Rosaline’s name? Why does he react this way?
6. Good intentions do not guarantee us a positive outcome. Find the lines that explain why friar
decides to marry Romeo and Juliet. What other reasons might he have for agreeing to marry
them?
Scene IV
1. Make an inference on how Mercutio and Benvolio feel; why do you think they feel this way?
a. How does this add on to complication of the plot of the play?
2. What is Mercutio saying on lines 18-24 through his comparison to Tybalt?
3. Describe Mercutio’s attitude toward Romeo and his current predicament. Why is Mercutio so
aware of Romeo’s lovesick state? What dramatic irony is incorporated by Mercutio’s speech?
4. Look at the photograph on page 219, how does this impact the mood?
5. How would you describe Romeo’s response here compared to Romeo’s conversation from Act I
scene 4 with Mercutio?
6. How do Mercutio and Benvolio treat Nurse? What do their actions tell you about their
character?
7. What are the intentions of Nurse?
8. In lines 140-168, how are Nurse’s feelings for Juliet shown in her comments?
9. Compare Nurse’s opinion on Paris from Act I, scene to how she feels now about Juliet’s potential
spouse (Romeo).
Scene V
1. Summarize scene 5.
2. What do Juliet’s allusions to Venus and Cupid emphasize about her state of mind as she waits
for nurse’s return?
3. Nurse is not a complex character, meaning she will not change. She has obvious traits and
remains the same. Reread nurse’s response to Juliet’s questions. Why do they create humor?
Are Nurse’s actions deliberate, why or why not? What effect do her answers have on Juliet; is it
the same for the audience?
4. Look at the photo on page 225, why do you think the director casted her as the role of Juliet?
Scene VI
1. Summarize scene 6.
2. Which words or phrases in Romeo’s speech suggest a tragic future?
3. Based off of Romeo’s romantic past, what is Friar Laurence fearful of?
4. Contrast Romeo’s speech to Juliet’s. What does this difference reveal about each character?
5. What is Friar Laurence’s tone? Explain.
6. Complete Collaborative Discussion.
Other Assigned Work

Complete a Venn diagram comparing Friar Laurence and Nurse to one another. They both
helped to facilitate the marriage of Romeo and Juliet. Use scenes 3-6 in Act II to complete this
activity.

Complete Analyzing the Text on page 227. Be sure that you are answering all the questions and
using evidence to answer the questions.

Scavenger Hunt

Play poster

Comic strip

Rewriting part of the play