a father who is worried about not being able to get through to his child regarding their love for someone that is unrequited

It offers a variety of background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance. It comments on themes, and shows how an ideal audience might react to the drama. It also represents the population in any particular story.

the protagonist in the play whose friends include Mercutio and Benvolio

an extended, uninterrupted speech or poem by a single person. The person may be speaking his or her thoughts aloud or directly addressing other persons, e.g. an audience, a character, reader, or inanimate object.

when lovers in a play are not doomed through any fault of their own, but because of some barrier in the world around them. Death is completely a kind of consummation of their love -- as if love can not properly succeed in a world with such barriers.

the sole heir to the Capulet fortune and the heroine of the play

dies of a broken heart after hearing that her son has been banished from Verona

a reciprocal conversation between two or more entities (words spoken between characters)

The peace loving cousin of Romeo

the servant who mistakenly thinks Juliet is dead and tells Romeo

The person who failed to get the message to Romeo that Juliet was only pretending to be dead.

actively searches for a quarrel, biting his thumb at

Juliet is considered by many, historians and fans alike, to be her surrogate daughter in many respects due to the fact that she took care of Juliet as a baby.

this person compares Paris to book and asks her daughter to study him to see if she could love him

Romeo's first crush who has him "down-in-the-dumps" at the beginning of the play

this person is apt to make long, drawn out speeches,and is generally thought to be reckless, a jokester, and a free spirit. Due to his quick wit and outrageous personality, he is one of Shakespeare's most popular characters

The rich, noble, gentleman who only wants to marry Juliet

the fiery, hot-headed, "Prince of Cats"

the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension

The illiterate servant seems to be at the Nurse's command

Ruler of Verona who lost two kinsmen due to the feud between the Montagues and Capulets

the servant of Montague being taunted by the Capulets at the beginning of the play

a character that contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, and so highlights various facets of the main character's personality

a literary device in that an actor speaks to the audience; he/she is not heard by the other characters

Friend, advisor, and spiritual counselor to Romeo.

a literary device used by dramatists to reveal their characters' personal thoughts, emotions, and motives without resorting to third-person narration - the character is essentially talking to themself

Poet, William Shakespeare

a servant who, after being called a coward by Sampson, shows his temper and threatens the Montagues once he realizes that Tybalt, his lord is approaching

Author of

The Tragedy of

Romeo and Juliet