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Romeo
A Montague.He meets the daughter of his family's enemy and falls madly in love with her, forgetting his previous love for a girl named Rosaline. He is quick to action and slow to reasoning, which may seal his fate. He marries Juliet but is provoked into a fight and kills her cousin Tybalt.He is exiled to Mantua.He kills himself in Juliet's tomb when he believes her to be dead. -
Juliet
A Capulet.She finds strength in her love for Romeo and hatches a plan with the Friar to help her escape her planned marriage to Paris for the arms of her husband, Romeo. When she awakens from her induced sleep, she finds Romeo dead in her family vault. She refuses to be parted from her lover and stabs herself with his dagger. Her death is the last installment in the tragic penalty paid for the inability of the Capulets and Montagues to live in peace. -
Tybalt
Cousin to Juliet. He is referred to as the Prince of Cats as he is a skillful fencer and kills all the mice he encounters. Tybalt is unwilling to tolerate Romeo's presence at the Capulet party and seeks revenge. When he finally meets Romeo in the street, Romeo refuses to fight. Tybalt does not know Romeo is now his kinsman. Tybalt instead fights Mercutio and takes a cheap shot under Romeo's arm when he tries to break up the fight. Romeo finally fights Tybalt to avenge Mercutio. Tybalt is killed by Romeo, which causes Romeo's banishment. -
Nurse
Juliet's nursemaid. She helped raise Juliet and assists her in her plan to marry Romeo. She carries messages between the lovers. Her ideas of love are much different than Juliet's and communicated through her vulgar language. She remains Juliet's confidant until after the wedding night. She advises Juliet to follow her father's order and marry Paris, and to forget Romeo. -
Mercutio
Kinsman to the Prince. He is horrified by what he perceives as womanish behavior on Romeo's part. His ideas of love are similar to the Nurse's. He is a hot-tempered man and jumps into battle with Tybalt when Romeo refuses. Tybalt mortally wounds him and Mercutio blames his death on the feud between the two families. -
Benvolio
Cousin to Romeo. He suggests that Romeo go to the Capulet party to save him from his lovesickness for Rosaline. He is not quick to seek out trouble with the Capulets but is unable to stop Mercutio. Benvolio is the sole witness left to report the events leading to the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt. -
Friar Lawrence
Romeo enlists him to perform his wedding to Juliet. The Friar assists Romeo in his escape to Mantua when he is banished. He also mixes the potion Juliet uses to fake her death. When his message fails to reach Romeo, the Friar goes to the Capulet tomb. Unfortunately, he arrives too late and finds Romeo and Paris dead. Juliet refuses to leave with him and so he runs off without her when noise is heard outside, giving her the opportunity to kill herself. Friar Lawrence relates the story of Romeo and Juliet to their families and the Prince. -
Prince Escalus
Kinsman to both Mercutio and Paris. He threatens death to anyone who disturbs the peace in Verona's streets. He banishes Romeo for avenging Mercutio's death by killing Tybalt. When Friar Lawrence reveals the events that lead to Romeo, Juliet, and Paris being found dead, the Prince partially blames himself for neglecting to squash the feud before it had a chance to get out of hand. -
County Paris
Kinsman to the Prince. He wishes to marry Juliet and presses Capulet into agreement. Juliet kills herself to avoid having to marry him. He blames Romeo for Juliet's death and determines to capture him when he spots him in the churchyard. The men get into a fight and Romeo kills Paris. -
Lord Montague
Head of the Montague family and father to Romeo. He is an aging man but this does not stop him from maintaining the argument between the two families. When the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is revealed, he vows to end the feud and erect a golden statue of Juliet. -
Lord Capulet
Head of the Capulet family and father to Juliet. He shifts moods easily (saying no one minute and yes the next) and is quick to try to jump into battle. He is furious when Juliet defies his decision that she and Paris be married. He is not to be topped by Montague, even after their feud is declared over. He responds to Montagues plan for a Juliet statue with a memorial to Romeo as well. -
Lady Capulet
Wife to Capulet and mother to Juliet. She demands Romeo's blood when Tybalt is killed. When she thinks Juliet is grief-stricken over Tybalt's death, she suggests hiring someone to murder Romeo in Mantua. She tries to calm her enraged husband when Juliet refuses Paris but does not stay to comfort her daughter. -
Lady Montague
Wife to Montague, mother to Romeo. She dies of a broken heart when her son is banished from Verona.< -
Balthasar
Servant to Romeo. He brings Romeo the news of Juliet's death and accompanies him to the churchyard. Romeo entrusts him with a letter to his father and threatens him with death if he does not leave. Balthasar remains in the churchyard but refuses to go near the tomb when discovered by Friar Lawrence. When Romeo is found to be dead, he admits his part in the events and hands Romeo's letter over to the Prince as proof. -
Friar John
The messenger sent by Friar Lawrence to tell Romeo of the plan to save Juliet from her marriage to Paris. He is suspected of having the plague and is unable to deliver the message so when Romeo hears of Juliet's death, he believes it is the real thing. -
Peter
Servant to the Nurse. -
Abram
Servant to Montague. -
Gregory and Sampson
Servants to Capulet.
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