Characters

Romeo Montague

A painting of Romeo and Juliet, depicting the famous balcony scene

Romeo Montague is the lead male character and as the son of Lord and Lady Montague he is born into a noble family. Romeo is about sixteen years old. He is in love with Rosaline but she does not return his love. Benvolio wants him to meet new girls. He meets Juliet at the Capulet's party and falls in love at first sight.

Juliet Capulet

Juliet Capulet is one of the main characters and as the only child of Lady and Lord Capulet she was born into a noble family. She is about fourteen years old and in the play she is very rebellious and curious. She is in love with Romeo. She has been brought up to be very obedient and the perfect Elizabethan girl. When her mother confronts her with the idea of marrying Paris she says that she will do whatever her parents want her to do. But when she meets Romeo, everything changed because she changed the idea about going along with the marriage. She is a isolated girl because she has no girlfriends in the plot.

Tybalt Capulet

Tybalt Capulet is the son of Lady Capulet´s brother, which makes him Juliet´s cousin. In the plot he is a strong and experienced fighter with an over confident attitude. He hates all Montagues. Tybalt has a very bad temper. Furthermore he is one of the antagonist.

Nurse

Juliet's Nurse is about 28 years old. She always transports messages between Romeo and Juliet and has a very close relationship to Juliet because she raised her from infancy and cares a lot about her. Juliet can confide her and talk about everything with her. The Nurse really loves to talk. She is not educated, she is one of the lower classes. She has a great kind of humour and it is often sexual.

Friar Lawrence

Romeo and Juliet with Friar Laurence - Henry William Bunbury

Friar Lawrence is the priest who secretly marries Romeo and Juliet. He does everything to help Romeo and Juliet, because he is a friend to Romeo, and he is the one who puts together the plan to fake Juliet's death. He is caught between the two families.

Friar John

Friar John is a Franciscan friar who was charged by Friar Lawrence to take the news of Juliet´s false death to Romeo. He is quarantined so the message never arrives.

Peter

Peter is a Capulet servant who invites guests to Capulet´s feast and escorts the Nurse to meet with Romeo.

Lord Capulet

Lord Capulet is the father of Juliet and Lady Capulet´s husband. He is very controlling and aggressive because he only wants the best for Juliet. He demands she marry Paris. But at first he is against the marriage because he feels Juliet is too young but he changes his mind. He said that if Juliet wants to he agrees with a marriage between Juliet and Paris, this behaviour was unusual for this time because normally the girls were their father's property. Furthermore he is involved in the violence that trouble the city.

Lady Capulet

Lady Capulet is Juliet's Mom. She encourages Juliet to marry Paris because she married at a young age, too. Juliet and er mother have a very formal relationship as most of nobel women of this time would have had. She had a nurse to help her with Juliet. In the play there is a distance between them when they talk to each other. Lady Capulet does not feel close to Juliet.

Paris

Paris is the handsome, rich gentleman that Juliet is supposed to marry. They like him, just because he has a lot of money. After taking to Juliet's father he goes to the party to see her and to win her love. Juliet´s parents try to convince her to marry him, even though she does not know him. He is the cousin and suitor of the Prince. Romeo kills him at Capulet tomb.

Prince

Death of Mercutio

Prince, called Escalus, always tries to ensure peace in the play. He is the ruler of the city.

Mercutio

Mercutio is a kinsman to the Prince and Romeo´s close friend. Often he treats Romeo like he is silly. He is educated wich is shown in his choice of words. He helps Romeo and Benvolio to go to the Capulet's party. He is caught between the two families, because he is at the guest list of the Capulet's party so he has to know the family.

Benvolio

Benvolio is Montague´s nephew. He is Romeo´s cousin and thoughtful, good-natured friend. He spends most of the play trying to help Romeo get his mind off Rosaline, even after Romeo has fallen in love with Juliet. Benvolio is concerned about Romeo's strange behaviour, he talks to him, because lord Montague asked him to do that. He is the peacemaker, because he tries to stop the violence at the beginning of Act 1.

Rosaline

Rosaline is an invisible character in the play. She is the women Romeo crushes on until he meets the love of his life, Juliet Capulet. But she since the beginning refuses to return his love. Lord Capulet is her uncle, so that makes her to the cousin of Juliet.

Balthazar

Balthazar is Romeo´s dedicated servant, who brings Romeo the news of Juliet´s death, unaware of the fact that her death is a ruse.

Lord Montague

Lord Montague is Romeo´s father. He is the patriarch of the Montague clan and a bitter enemy of the Capulet family. Especially at the beginning of the play he is really concerned about Romeo´s melancholy, so he sends Benvolio to speak to Romeo.

Lady Montague

Lady Montague is Romeo´s mother and the wife of Lord Montague. She is concerned about her son and her husband. She is not seen after Act 3. She dies of grief after Romeo is banished from Verona.