The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Study Guide Final Examination

Who’s side is Romeo on?

Montague

Who’s side is Benvolio on?

Montague

Who’s side is Lady Montague on?

Montague

Who’s side is Juliet on?

Montague and Capulet

Who’s side is Montague on?

Montague

Who’s side is Mercutio on?

Montague

Who’s side is Abraham on?

Montague

Who’s side is Balthasar on?

Montague

Who’s side is Friar Laurence on?

Montague, Capulet, Neutral

Who’s side is Gregory on?

Capulet

Who’s side is Sampson on?

Cauplet

Who’s side is Paris on?

Capulet

Who’s side is Tybalt on?

Capulet

Who’s side is Lady Capulet on?

Capulet

Who’s side is Capulet on?

Capulet

Who’s side is Nurse on?

Capulet and Neutral

Who’s side is Chorus on?

Neutral

Who’s side is Prince Escalus on?

Neutral

Who’s side is Apothecary on?

Neutral

Who’s side is Friar John on?

Neutral

Who’s side is Peter on?

Capulet

Lady Capulet character description

Juliet’s mother. Formal, distant, and focused on social status.

Count Paris character description

Wealthy nobleman who wants to marry Juliet. Polite and respected.

Prince Escalus character description

Prince of Verona who tries to keep peace in the city

Rosaline character description

The girl Romeo loves at the beginning of the play

Mercutio character description

Romeo’s witty, funny, and loyal best friend.

Benvolio character description

Romeo’s peaceful and caring cousin

Tybalt character description

Juliet’s hot-tempered cousin who hates Montagues

Friar Lawrence character description

Priest who secretly marries Romeo and Juliet. Wise but risky.

Lady Montague character description

Romeo’s loving mother

Nurse character description

Juliet’s caretaker who acts like a second mother. Funny and caring.

Balthazar character description

Romeo’s loyal servant

Montague character description

Romeo’s father and head of the Montague family

Capulet character description

Juliet’s father. Sometimes caring, but controlling and angry

Romeo character description

Young Montague who is emotional, romantic, and impulsive

Friar John character description

Friar sent to deliver the important letter to Romeo

Apothecary character description

Poor pharmacist who sells poison to Romeo

Juliet character description

Intelligent, brave, and loyal daughter of the Capulets

Lady Capulet role in helping/hindering:

Hinders Juliet by pressuring her to marry Paris, does not understand Juliet’s feelings, supports the family feud instead of peace

Count Paris role in helping/hindering:

Unknowingly hinders Romeo and Juliet because his marriage plans pressure Juliet, His planned marriage causes Juliet to become desperate enough to take the potion

Prince Escalus role in helping/hindering:

Helps by trying to stop violence, Hinders Romeo indirectly by banishing him after Tybalt’s death

Rosaline role in helping/hindering:

Indirectly helps the story happen because Romeo attends the Capulet party to see her, At the party, he meets Juliet instead

Mercutio role in helping/hindering:

Helps Romeo by supporting him as a friend, Hinders Romeo after fighting Tybalt, His death causes Romeo to kill Tybalt, leading to Romeo’s banishment

Benvolio role in helping/hindering:

Helps Romeo by giving advice and trying to stop fights, Encourages Romeo to go to the Capulet party, where Romeo meets Juliet

Tybalt role in helping/hindering:

Strongly hinders Romeo and Juliet, starts conflicts and kills Mercutio, his death causes Romeo’s banishment, separating Romeo and Juliet

Friar Lawrence role in helping/hindering:

Helps by marrying Romeo and Juliet, Creates the potion plan to reunite them, Hinders them because his risky plans fail and lead to tragedy

Lady Montague role in helping/hindering:

Helps Romeo emotionally by caring about him, has little direct effect on the main conflict

Nurse role in helping/hindering:

Helps Romeo and Juliet communicate and marry secretly, Later hinders Juliet by telling her to marry Paris instead of Romeo

Balthazar role in helping/hindering:

Accidentally hinders Romeo by telling him Juliet is dead, This causes Romeo to kill himself

Montague role in helping/hindering:

Hinders Romeo because the family feud creates hatred and division, His conflict with the Capulets makes Romeo and Juliet hide their love

Capulet role in helping/hindering:

Hinders Juliet by forcing her to marry Paris, His anger and pressure push Juliet toward desperate decisions

Romeo role in helping/hindering

Helps Juliet through his love and devotion, Hinders both himself and Juliet through rash decisions, Kills Tybalt and later commits suicide too quickly

Friar John

Accidentally hinders Romeo and Juliet because he cannot deliver the message explaining Juliet’s fake death

Apothecary

Hinders Romeo and Juliet by giving Romeo the poison he uses to kill himself

Juliet

Helps Romeo through her love and commitment, Hinders both herself and Romeo by acting impulsively and taking the potion plan risk, Kills herself after Romeo dies

How long was the feud, how do you know?

many years because everyone in Verona already knows about it, Servants fight immediately in Act 1, Prince Escalus says there have been “three civil brawls,” The hatred is old and deeply rooted

Who does Romeo confide with?

Benvolio

Is Romeo afraid to speak to Juliet at first because she is a Capulet?

No. When Romeo first speaks to Juliet, he does NOT know she is a Capulet. He learns afterward from the Nurse

Falling Action

Act III, Scene II to Act V, Scene II

Denouement

Act V, Scene III

Setting of Romeo and Juliet

Verona, Italy. Other setting: Manute, which Romeo goes to after banishment. Time period: Renaissance Italy, Around the 1300s-1500s

Climax

Act III, Scene I

Rising Action

Act II, Scenes I–VI through Act III, Scene I (before Tybalt dies)

Exposition

Act I, Scenes I–V

What happens in Act I? (meeting)

Street fight + sad Romeo, party invitation, Paris marriage talk, going to the party, love at first sight

What happens in Act II? (meeting)

Romeo sneaks back, balcony scene, Friar agrees, nurse gets message, Juliet waits, Secret wedding

What happens in Act III (Disaster)

Mercutio dies, Juliet learns the news, Romeo cries about banishment, Paris wedding planned, forced marriage

What happens in Act IV (The plan)

Potion plan, Juliet pretends, Juliet drinks potion, wedding preparations, Juliet found ‘dead’

What happens in Act V (Tragedy)

Romeo hears false news, letter fails, tomb death scene

Pun

A joke using words with multiple meanings or similar sounds

Irony in the balcony scene

Juliet thinks she is alone, Romeo is secretly listening the entire time (dramatic irony)

What is irony

opposite of what is expected happens

Example of Irony

Romeo kills himself peacefully, but Juliet kills herself violently

What is foreshadow?

Hints about future events

Example of foreshadow

When Juliet mentions: “dead man in his shrew”

What does Juliet mean when she states, “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name!”?

She is upset that Romeo belongs to the enemy family, she wishes Romeo could give up his name or she could stop being a Capulet

How many lines does a sonnet have?

14 lines

Shakespearean Sonnet Rhyme Scheme

ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Quatrain

A group of 4 lines. Most sonnets have 3 quatrains

Couplet

A group of 2 lines, usually at the end

Iambic Pentameter (example)

One unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. Ex: (da-DUM)

Why is there urgency in the play?

Shakespeare wants: strong emotion, excitement, tension, impulsive decisions, and Romeo and Juliet are teenagers acting emotionally and quickly

Why does Shakespeare compress time to only a few days instead of months?

Short timeline shows: passion, recklessness, fate moving rapidly toward legacy (play lasts about 4-5 days)

Lady capulet’s advice

Lady Capulet tells Juliet Paris is handsome, Paris is wealthy, Juliet should examine him carefully, marriage will improve Juliet’s social status

Oxymoron definition and examples

Two opposite words placed together. Ex: Cold fire, sweet sorrow