R OMEO AND J ULIET C AST Characters, Plot, and Prologue Vocabulary

T HE C HORUS : A single character who functions as a narrator offering commentary on the play’s plot. The chorus often shows up at the beginning or end of Acts, Scenes, or entire plays. In Romeo and Juliet the chorus delivers the prologue, which lays out the entire plot line of the play.

M INOR C HARACTERS : Rosaline : The girl who Romeo is infatuated with at the beginning of the play. She never appears on stage, but is describes as beautiful, but sworn to a life of chastity. The Apothocary : Men who were known to value money over morals. They specialized in weird medicine and poison. Prince Escalus: The prince of Verona, family to Paris and Mercutio. He cares about preserving the peace in his city at all costs.

F RIENDS : Mercutio: Romeo’s best friend. One of Shakespeare’s most extraordinary characters. Mercutio is witty, smart, and at times ruthlessly sarcastic. Mercutio loves wordplay, hates people obsessed with the latest fashions. Mercutio also has a dark side. He has a short temper and finds Romeo’s romanticized ideas about love tiresome. Nurse: A vulgar, long-winded, and sentimental character, the Nurse provides comic relief with her frequently inappropriate remarks and speeches. But, until a disagreement near the play’s end, the Nurse is Juliet’s faithful confidante and loyal intermediary in Juliet’s affair with Romeo.

O UTSIDE O F THE F AMILY : Friar Lawrence: Kind, civic- minded, a proponent of moderation, and always ready with a plan, Friar Lawrence secretly marries the impassioned lovers in hopes that the union might eventually bring peace to Verona. As well as being a Catholic holy man, Friar Lawrence is also an expert in the use of seemingly mystical potions and herbs. Paris: the suitor of Juliet most preferred by Capulet. Once Capulet has promised him he can marry Juliet, he behaves very presumptuous toward her, acting as if they are already married.

T HE S TAFF : Montague’s: Balthasar: Romeo’s dedicated servant, who brings Romeo the news of Juliet’s death, unaware that her death is a ruse. Abram: Montague’s servant, who fights with Sampson and Gregory in the first scene of the play. Capulet’s: Peter: A Capulet servant who invites guests to Capulet’s feast and escorts the Nurse to meet with Romeo. He is illiterate, and a bad singer. Sampson and Gregory: Two servants of the house of Capulet, who, like their master, hate the Montagues. At the outset of the play, they successfully provoke some Montague men into a fight.

T HE C APULETS : Lord Capulet : father of Juliet, husband of Lady Capulet, and enemy, for unexplained reasons, of Montague. He commands respect, but is likely to fly into a rage. Lady Capulet: A woman who herself married young (by her own estimation she gave birth to Juliet at close to the age of fourteen), she is eager to see her daughter marry Paris. She is an absent mother, relying on the Nurse for moral support. Tybalt: Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side. Vain and fashionable; he becomes aggressive, violent, and quick to draw his sword when he feels his pride has been injured. Once drawn, his sword is something to be feared. He loathes Montagues.

T HE M ONTAGUES : Lord Montague: Romeo’s father, and bitter enemy of Capulet. Lady Montague: Romeo’s mother, Montague’s wife. She dies of grief after Romeo is exiled from Verona. Benvolio: Romeo’s cousin and thoughtful friend, he makes a genuine effort to defuse violent scenes in public places, though Mercutio accuses him of having a nasty temper in private. He spends most of the play trying to help Romeo get his mind off Rosaline, even after Romeo has fallen in love with Juliet.

R OMEO M ONTAGUE : A young man of about sixteen, Romeo is handsome, intelligent, and sensitive. Though impulsive and immature, his idealism and passion make him an extremely likable character. His only interest is love. At the beginning of the play he is madly in love with a woman named Rosaline, but the instant he lays eyes on Juliet, he falls in love with her and forgets Rosaline. Romeo is also an affectionate and devoted friend to his relative Benvolio, Mercutio, and Friar Lawrence.

J ULIET C APULET : A beautiful thirteen-year- old girl, Juliet begins the play as a naïve child who has thought little about love and marriage. Because she is a girl in an aristocratic family, she has none of the freedom Romeo has. Nevertheless, she shows amazing courage in trusting her entire life and future to Romeo, even refusing to believe the worst reports about him after he gets involved in a fight with her cousin.

P ROLOGUE : Two households, both alike in dignity (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-marked love And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage— The which, if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. Original:

P ROLOGUE : In the beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes place, a long-standing hatred between two families erupts into new violence, and citizens stain their hands with the blood of their fellow citizens. Two unlucky children of these enemy families become lovers and commit suicide. Their unfortunate deaths put an end to their parents' feud. For the next two hours, we will watch the story of their doomed love and their parents' anger, which nothing but the children’s deaths could stop. If you listen to us patiently, we’ll make up for everything we’ve left out in this prologue onstage. Modern Translation:

A SSIGNMENT : Write a one paragraph (6-8 sentences) explaining which character from the play you believe you will most identify with, and why you feel that way.