romeo and juliet

aside — dialogue not meant for other characters on stage; words spoken for the benefit of the audience (unless spoken directly to a character, “under one’s breath”)

monologue — an extended speech by a character in front of others

alliteration — the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a line of poetry — at least 3 instances 

oxymoron — the pairing of words that are opposites to each other

foil (n.) — a character who is a contrast to another character

dramatic irony — when the audience knows more than the character(s) do

pun — a play on words (a word is used to convey 2 meanings at the same time OR  a humorous use of words.) 

Verse  (poetry)

• for higher-ranking characters, royalty, etc.

• sometimes rhyming couplets

• usually unrhymed iambic pentameter (called “blank verse”)

Prose

• appears as full blocks of text 

• servingmen and other servants (see p. 29, p. 51)

The Montagues

Romeo: Lord and Lady Montague’s son.

Montague: The head of the house of Montague, he is Romeo’s father and enemy of Capulet.

Lady Montague: Romeo’s mother.

Mercutio: Kinsman of Prince Escalus and friend of Romeo.

Benvolio: Nephew of Montague and friend of Romeo.

Balthasar: Romeo’s servant.

Abram: A servant of the Montagues.

The Capulets

Juliet: Daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet.

Capulet: The head of the house of Capulet, he is Juliet’s father and enemy of Montague.

Lady Capulet: Juliet’s mother.

Nurse: To Juiliet.

Peter: Servant to the nurse and Juliet.

Tybalt: Nephew of Lady Capulet and cousin of Juliet

Sampson: Servant of the Capulets.

Gregory: Servant of the Capulets.

Others

Friar Lawrence: A Franciscan friar and close friend of Romeo.

Paris: A relative of Prince Escalus.

Prince Escalus: The prince of Verona, he is related to Mercutio and Paris.

Friar John: Another Franciscan friar.