romeo and juliet act 1-2

Feuding families in Romeo and Juliet

Montagues and Capulets

Prince Escalus' warning after the street fight

Anyone who fights again will be sentenced to death

Romeo's sadness at the start of Act 1

He loves Rosaline, but she doesn't love him back

How Romeo and Juliet meet

At the Capulet Ball

Person who recognizes Romeo at the Capulet Ball and gets angry

Tybalt

The Balcony Scene

Romeo and Juliet confess their love and plan to marry

Person who agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet

Friar Laurence

How the Nurse helps Romeo and Juliet

She acts as a messenger between them

End of Act 2

Romeo and Juliet secretly get married

Romeo

A Montague, emotional and impulsive, falls in love with Juliet at first sight

Juliet

A Capulet, only 13, falls for Romeo and quickly becomes brave and rebellious

Mercutio

Romeo's funny, wild best friend who doesn't take love seriously

Benvolio

Romeo's peaceful cousin who tries to stop fights

Tybalt

Juliet's aggressive cousin who hates Montagues and wants to fight Romeo

The Nurse

Juliet's talkative caretaker who helps her secretly meet Romeo

Friar Laurence

A priest who marries Romeo and Juliet, hoping to end the family feud

Paris

A nobleman who wants to marry Juliet and is favored by her parents

Prince Escalus

Ruler of Verona, warns both families to stop fighting

Dramatic irony

When the audience knows something the characters don't (e.g., Juliet doesn't know Romeo is a Montague at first)

Situational irony

When the opposite of what is expected happens (e.g., Romeo goes to the Capulet Ball for Rosaline but falls for Juliet instead)

Verbal irony

When someone says the opposite of what they mean (e.g., Mercutio calling his fatal wound "a scratch")

Cosmic irony (fate irony)

When fate controls everything, making human efforts useless (e.g., Romeo and Juliet being "star-crossed lovers")

Environmental irony

When the setting contradicts expectations (e.g., a romantic moment happens in dangerous secrecy instead of a happy place)

Foreshadowing

Hints at future events (e.g., Romeo says he'd rather die than live without Juliet)

Soliloquy

A speech where a character talks alone on stage (e.g., Juliet's balcony speech)

Aside

A short comment to the audience that other characters can't hear

Pun

A joke using wordplay (e.g., Mercutio's witty jokes)

Oxymoron

Two opposite words together (e.g., "O loving hate!")

Why marriages were arranged

For wealth, status, and family alliances, not love

How women were expected to behave

Obedient, quiet, and respectful to their parents

Importance of family honor

The Montague-Capulet feud is based on protecting their family's reputation

Beliefs about fate

People believed their destiny was controlled by the stars ("star-crossed lovers")

Role of parents in marriage

Fathers made decisions, daughters had little say

Types of love in the play

Romantic love (Romeo & Juliet), unrequited love (Romeo & Rosaline), parental love (Capulet & Juliet), and friendship (Romeo & Mercutio)

Romeo and Juliet's love as impulsive

They fall in love and decide to marry within hours

Courtly love

A dramatic, exaggerated love, like Romeo's feelings for Rosaline

Mercutio's view on love

He mocks it and sees it as a joke

The Nurse's view on love

More physical and playful, unlike Romeo and Juliet's deep passion

Friar Laurence's warning about love

Love should be slow and steady, not rushed