Characters

Romeo

son and heir of the Montague family
16-years-old, handsome, intelligent, sensitive, quick-witted
part of the brutal feud between the Capulets and his own family, yet he is not interested in that fight
affectionate, loyal friend to Benvolio, Mercutio and Friar Lawrence
deep interest in poetry and thus in finding true love
believes that his true love is Rosaline who rejects him
at the sight of Juliet, he simply forgets about Rosaline and falls in love with Juliet
driven by extreme behaviour with a lack of moderation
$\rightarrow$ sneaks into enemy‘s garden and risks his own death just to see his love Juliet
$\rightarrow$ marries Juliet in secret despite their families‘ feud
$\rightarrow$ in order to avenge a friend‘s death, he kills Juliet‘s cousin in a reckless duel
$\rightarrow$ commits suicide after hearing about Juliet‘s death
$\rightarrow$ extreme behaviour is the catalyst for ultimate tragedy but also brings Romeo and Juliet together

Juliet

daughter of the Capulets
13-year-old, beautiful, yet naïve
has never given a though to love, romance or marriage

$\rightarrow$ even thinks she might be able to love Paris who wants to marry her
grows up when she falls in love with the son of her family‘s enemy Romeo
as a girl, she is not free to wander the streets and has to be an obedient daughter
courageous due to the fact that she entrusts Romeo with her life and future

$\rightarrow$ does not believe the reports about Romeo having fought with her cousin
her nurse is her friend and confident, however, Juliet is ready to cut the cords with her as soon as she turns against her love Romeo
starts out as naïve, immature girl but proves to become a determined woman throughout the novel

$\rightarrow$ her mother is not able to quiet the nurse whereas Juliet only needs to utter one word

$\rightarrow$ seems to obey her mother‘s wish to marry Paris, but Juliet is also determined to try to love him even though she won‘t do everything in her power to do so

$\rightarrow$ realistic where Romeo is idealistic and rashly

$\rightarrow$ Juliet doesn‘t approve of Romeo‘s killing her cousin but decides to be loyal to Romeo and thus follows him

$\rightarrow$ abandons her family, nurse and social standing in order to be with Romeo, deliberately accepts the consequences of her doings

$\rightarrow$ commits suicide out of intensity of love for Romeo, not out of weakness

$\rightarrow$ whereas Romeo has killed himself with poison, she stabs herself through the heart which requires much more courage

Friar Lawrence

kindhearted cleric mediating between Rome and Juliet
performs the marriage between the two
only person with religious context in the play
also the most scheming and political character

$\rightarrow$ marrying Romeo and Juliet as a plan to end civil conflicts between the two families

$\rightarrow$ lures Romeo into Juliet‘s room, sends him out of Verona afterwards

$\rightarrow$ comes up with a plan to use a sleeping potion in order to prevent Juliet‘s marriage with Paris and in order to bring Romeo and Juliet back together
using a potion seems somewhat out of place for a cleric (back then, potions were associated with witchery)
friar as a fate-bringer

$\rightarrow$ is responsible for the marriage as well as for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet

$\rightarrow$ at the end of the play, he feels guilty for the deaths, yet Prince Escalus considers his intentios honest and noble

Mercutio

Romeo‘s friend, but not his confidant

$\rightarrow$ is not aware of Romeo‘s love for Juliet, let alone his marriage with her
quick-tempered, honorable, loyal, courageous

$\rightarrow$ challenges Tybalt when he offends Romeo

$\rightarrow$ does not understand why Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt (even deems it submissive)
anti-romantic character

$\rightarrow$ considers love as a mere physical pursuit

$\rightarrow$ thinks of Romeo just as a lover (not a man) whose experience of conflict is very limited when hearing of the challenge that Tybald had requested ("And is he such a man to encounter Tybalt?" II.3.16-17)
very rational

$\rightarrow$ in his opinion, dreams should not be seen as signs and as portraying the near future, they are only a result of anxieties and desires
does not emotionally belong to either of the two families - exists inbetween

$\rightarrow$ does not take the feud or the world of love of Romeo seriously
also a comical character

$\rightarrow$ description of his fatal wound as not as deep as well and not as wide as a church door
his death marks a turning point: tragedy overwhelms comedy, protagonists‘ fates gloom

The Nurse

servant in the Capulet household, but is also Juliet‘s confidant

$\rightarrow$ Juliet considers her mother and her nurse equivalent

$\rightarrow$ nurse treats Juliet as if she were her daughter

$\rightarrow$ is the only person next to Friar Lawrence to know of Romeo & Juliet‘s wedding
rather old in comparison to Juliet, constantly complains about her aches

$\rightarrow$ age of Nurse is used for comical effect in Act II, Scene 5 when Juliet just wants to know the wedding details when the Nurse just wants to bemoan her ailments
twisted between her maternal feelings for Juliet and her social position as a servant

$\rightarrow$ praises Romeo and helps the couple to finally get together

$\rightarrow$ Nurse retreats into submission when Capulet gets enraged and advises Juliet to forget Romeo
only sees the physical aspect of love in contrast to Juliet

$\rightarrow$ love is just temporary and physical

$\rightarrow$ only focuses on the physical act of the wedding night when she shares details of the wedding with Juliet

$\rightarrow$ is not able to understand the intensity of love between Romeo and Juliet
talkative woman

$\rightarrow$ often repeats herself

$\rightarrow$ not afraid of making obscene comments

Minor Characters

Tybalt

Juliet‘s cousin
vain, fashionable
aggressive, violent

answers a comment that hurts his pride with drawing his sword

skilled sowrd-fighter

Capulet

patriarch of the Capulet family
enemy of Montague family (reasons hereof are not further declared
loving father, yet he is not aware nor would he understand Juliet‘s feelings or thoughts
only looks out for finding his daughter a good match
commanding and respected

Lady Capulet

mother of Juliet, wife of Capulet
had married young and wants Juliet to share the same fate
ineffective as mother, has to rely on the Nurse‘s help with regard to the upbringing of Juliet

Montague

Romeo‘s father
patriarch of the Montague clan, enemies with Capulet
seems to be concerned about Romeo‘s gloomy mood

Lady Montague

Romeo‘s mother, Montague‘s wife
dies of grief over Romeo‘s banishment from Verona

Paris

one of Prince Escalus‘ kinsmen
most preferred suitor of Juliet
behaves as if Juliet was already his wife when Capulet promises him to her even though they have not married yet

Benvolio

Montague‘s nephew and thus, Romeo‘s cousin but also his friend
tries to avoid conflict in public situations, behaves differently in private
most of the time, he tries to divert Romeo‘s thoughts from Rosaline

Prince Escalus

the prince of Verona
related to Mercutio and Paris
tries to maintain civil peace in his city

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