romeo and juliet characters

Romeo quotes (8)

1. “O brawling love, O loving hate!” (A1 S1)

2. “Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs.” (A1 S1)

3. “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night.” (A1 S5)

4. “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls.” (A2 S2)

5. “My life were better ended by their hate / Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.” (A2 S2)

6. “O, I am fortune’s fool!” (A3 S1)

7. “Fire-eyed fury be my conduct now.” (A3 S1)

8. “Then I defy you, stars!” (A5 S1)

analysis for quote 1.

• oxymoron- reflects Romeo’s emotional immaturity

• love and violence are linguistically inseparable

• shows Romeo adopting exaggerated Petrarchan conventions

analysis for quote 2.

• metaphor- presents love as confusing and suffocating

• smoke suggests lack of clarity

• Romeo is in love with the idea of love, not a person

analysis for quote 3.

• light vs darkness imagery

• Juliet is idealised as pure and radiant

• marks a shift from artificial love to genuine feeling

analysis for quote 4.

• metaphor of flight-suggests love empowers Romeo

• highlights impulsiveness and risk taking

• love challenges social boundaries

analysis for quote 5.

• Hyperbole shows emotional extremity

• Love becomes more important than survival

• Foreshadows Romeo’s later choices

analysis for quote 6.

• Personification of fate

• Romeo views himself as powerless

• Alternatively, shifts blame from his own actions

analysis for quote 7.

• Personification and violent imagery

• Romeo adopts traditional masculine aggression

• Marks the tragic turning point of the play

analysis for quote 8.

• Apostrophe and exclamatory sentence

• Romeo attempts to assert control over fate

• Ironically accelerates tragedy

Juliet quotes (8)

1. “It is an honour that I dream not of.” (A1 S3)

2. “My only love sprung from my only hate.” (A1 S5)

3. “Deny thy father and refuse thy name.” (A2 S2)

4. “My bounty is as boundless as the sea.” (A2 S2)

5. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose…” (A2 S2)

6. “Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, / Take him and cut him out in little stars.” (A3 S2)

7. “Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend!” (A3 S5)

8. “O happy dagger!” (A5 S3)

analysis for quote 1.

• Juliet’s measured, polite language shows emotional maturity

• Challenges the idea that youth equals impulsiveness

• Establishes Juliet as thoughtful and obedient at first

analysis for quote 2.

• Oxymoron highlights the clash between love and social conflict

• Repetition of “only” emphasises isolation

• Love forces Juliet into conflict with society

analysis for quote 3.

• Imperative verbs show Juliet’s growing agency

• Challenges patriarchal and social identity

• Love empowers rebellion

analysis for quote 4.

• Simile suggests depth and sincerity of love

• Natural imagery contrasts Romeo’s hyperbole

• Juliet’s love is mature and genuine

analysis for quote 5.

• Rhetorical question questions social labels

• Demonstrates philosophical thinking

• Juliet rejects inherited identity

analysis for quote 6.

• Celestial imagery links love and death

• Dramatic irony foreshadows tragedy

• Juliet unknowingly predicts Romeo’s fate

analysis for quote 7.

• Violent exclamations show emotional desperation

• Marks Juliet’s rejection of the Nurse’s advice

• Juliet matures through isolation

analysis for quote 8.

• Oxymoron reflects tragic resolution

• Juliet chooses death over social submission

• Final act of agency and loyalty

Mercutio quotes (5)

1. “If love be rough with you, be rough with love.” (Act 1, Scene 4)

2. “You are a lover; borrow Cupid’s wings, and soar with them above a common bound.” (Act 1, Scene 4)

3. “O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.” (Act 1, Scene 4)

4. “A plague o’ both your houses!” (Act 3, Scene 1)

5. “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.” (Act 3, Scene 1)

analysis for quote 1.

• imperative verbs- presents love as a physical battle “be rough” , to encourage Romeo to fight love rather than submit to it

• reflects Mercutio’s cynical masculine view of love

• contrasts sharply with Romeo’s idealistic Petrarchan romance

• Shakespeare uses Mercutio to challenge romantic conventions, suggesting the excessive emotion leads to weakness

analysis for quote 2.

• The metaphor of “Cupid’s wings” mocks Romeo’s romantic imagination.

• Mercutio trivialises love by treating it as fantasy rather than fate, highlighting his wit and rationality.

• Shakespeare positions Mercutio as a foil to Romeo, exposing Romeo’s emotional extremity as impractical and unrealistic.

analysis for quote 3.

• The reference to Queen Mab, a fairy who influences dreams, allows Mercutio to criticise love as an illusion created by the mind.

• His imaginative yet satirical speech reflects the chaos of unchecked imagination, foreshadowing how dreams and desires drive the tragedy.

• Shakespeare uses Mercutio to warn against mistaking fantasy for reality.

analysis for quote 4.

• This curse marks Mercutio’s transformation from comic to tragic figure.

• The word “plague” evokes disease and divine punishment, suggesting the feud is morally corrupt and contagious.

• By condemning both Montagues and Capulets, Mercutio exposes the senselessness of inherited hatred, and his death becomes the turning point of the play.

analysis for quote 5.

• Mercutio uses dark humour and wordplay (“grave”) even as he dies, reinforcing his role as a wit to the end.

• The pun highlights the tragedy of wasted potential, as a character who mocks death is finally claimed by it.

• Shakespeare uses this moment to show how violence destroys vitality and intelligence, intensifying the play’s tragic impact.

Tybalt quotes (4)

1. “What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,

   As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.” (act 1 scene)

2. “To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.” (Act 1, Scene 5)

3. “This intrusion shall, now seeming sweet, convert to bitter gall.” (Act 1, Scene 5)

4. “Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford No better term than this,—thou art a villain.” act 3, scene 1)

analysis for quote 1.

• Tybalt’s aggressive tone and tricolon of hatred (“hell, all Montagues, and thee”) immediately establish him as the embodiment of the feud.

• The violent verb “hate” is repeated to emphasise his obsessive hostility.

• Shakespeare presents Tybalt as a character who equates honour with violence, reinforcing how deeply ingrained and irrational the conflict is.

analysis for quote 2.

• Tybalt’s declaration uses religious lexis (“sin”) to justify murder, revealing his moral absolutism.

• By framing violence as righteous, Shakespeare criticises how the feud corrupts ethical judgement.

• Tybalt’s extremism contrasts with Capulet’s temporary restraint, showing that Tybalt values personal honour above social order.

analysis for quote 3.

• The metaphor of sweetness turning to “bitter gall” foreshadows future tragedy.

• Tybalt’s language suggests deliberate revenge, portraying him as calculating as well as violent.

• Shakespeare uses Tybalt to personify how moments of harmony are poisoned by hatred, reinforcing the inevitability of conflict.

analysis for quote 4.

• The ironic use of “love” is twisted into hatred, reflecting Tybalt’s inability to understand love outside violence.

• Calling Romeo a “villain” dehumanises him, making the duel inevitable.

• Shakespeare positions Tybalt as a catalyst for tragedy, as his rigid honour code directly leads to Mercutio’s death and Romeo’s downfal

Nurse quotes (4)

1. “Thou wast the prettiest babe that e’er I nursed.” (Act 1, Scene 3)

2. “Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.” (Act 1, Scene 3)

3. “I am the drudge, and toil in your delight.” (Act 2, Scene 5)

4. “I think it best you married with the County.” (Act 3, Scene 5)

analysis for quote 1.

• This shows the Nurse’s deep maternal affection for Juliet.

• The superlative “prettiest” highlights how emotionally invested she is, suggesting she acts as a surrogate mother rather than a servant.

analysis for quote 2

• The Nurse encourages Juliet’s marriage, showing her practical and worldly view of love.

• Unlike Lady Capulet’s formality, the Nurse focuses on physical happiness, reflecting lower-class attitudes and contrasting with the play’s idealised romance.

analysis for quote 3.

• This line shows the Nurse’s loyalty and self-importance.

• Calling herself a “drudge” exaggerates her effort, while “your delight” emphasises her commitment to Juliet’s happiness, even when it costs her personally.

analysis for quote 4.

• This marks a turning point in the Nurse’s role.

• By advising Juliet to marry Paris, she betrays Juliet’s trust and prioritises security over true love.

• Shakespeare uses this moment to isolate Juliet further, pushing her toward desperate actions.

Friar quotes (4)

1. “For nought so vile that on the earth doth live But to the earth some special good doth give.” (act 2, scene 3)

2. “These violent delights have violent ends.” (Act 2, Scene 6)

3. “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.” (Act 2, Scene 3)

4. “A greater power than we can contradict Hath thwarted our intents.” (Act 5, Scene 3)

analysis for quote 1.

• Friar Laurence uses balanced phrasing and antithesis (“vile” vs “good”) to express his belief in moral duality.

• Shakespeare presents him as a Renaissance thinker, valuing reason and moderation.

• However, this philosophy foreshadows tragedy, as the Friar underestimates how easily “good” intentions can lead to destructive outcome

analysis for quote 2.

• The repetition of “violent” links love with destruction, undermining the idea of romance as purely joyful.

• Friar Laurence acts as a voice of foreshadowing and moral caution, yet his failure to prevent the marriage exposes the limits of wisdom without action.

analysis for quote 3.

• The proverb-like structure gives the Friar authority and suggests prudence.

• Shakespeare uses him as a moral guide, but the irony lies in his own behaviour: despite preaching patience, he orchestrates hasty plans, highlighting human hypocrisy and flawed judgement.

analysis for quote 4.

• The abstract phrase “greater power” implies fate or divine will, shifting blame away from individual responsibility.

• Shakespeare presents the Friar as attempting to absolve himself of guilt, reinforcing the play’s tension between fate and human choice.

• This line encourages audiences to question whether tragedy is inevitable or caused by human error.