Scenes 1-3
Where does Romeo and Juliet take place?
Verona, Italy
Where do Romeo and Juliet meet and share their first kiss?
The Capulet feast, after they only just met and danced together. They sneak away to kiss in private.
(1) Who said this, (2) What does this character mean, and (3) What is foreshadowed here?
"I fear too early, for my mind misgives / Some consequence yet hanging in the stars / Shall bitterly begin his fearful date / With this night’s revels, and expire the term . . . By some vile forfeit of untimely death."
(1) Romeo
(2) He is realizing that it is dangerous to love a Capulet.
(3) An "untimely death" is foreshadowed.
In Act 1, Scene 1, which hot-tempered character was said to have started the fight between the feuding families?
Tybalt Capulet, older cousin to Juliet
Where are Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio going at the start of Act 1, Scene 4?
To crash the Capulet feast.
(1) Who said this quote and (2) What does this character mean? (3) Who is this character talking about?
"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! / It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night . . . Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight, / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night . . ."
(1) Romeo
(2) He is saying the person he is speaking of is beautiful and he is in love with this person.
(3) He is talking about Juliet when he sees her for the first time.
(1) Which character does Romeo love at the start of the play in Act 1, Scene 1?
(2) What is the term we use for love that is not reciprocated?
(1) Rosaline Capulet, cousin to Juliet
(2) Unrequited Love
What is the term we use for lovers whose love is complicated to the point of it risking their ability to be together?
Star-Crossed Lovers
(1) Who said this? (2) What is this character saying?
"This, by his voice, should be a Montague.— Fetch me my rapier, boy. What, dares . . . Come hither covered with an antic face / To fleer and scorn at our solemnity? / Now, by the stock and honor of my kin, / To strike him dead I hold it not a sin."
(1) Tybalt Capulet
(2) He is outraged to see Romeo at the Capulet feast and would not consider it a sin to fight with him right then and there.
When Romeo confesses his feelings for Rosaline to Benvolio, how does he respond?
He suggests that Romeo "examine other beauties" because he fears what would happen if Romeo were to court a Capulet, given the fight that just broke out that day with the warring family.
How does Lord Capulet react to Tybalt's temper at the feast when he sees Romeo there? What does he tell Tybalt to do, and why?
Lord Capulet tells Tybalt to calm down because the Prince threatened the families not to continue fighting in Verona just that week. He does not want violence to occur between the warring families under his roof and ruin the feast, or make a scene. He tells Tybalt to dance with his aunt, Lady Capulet to calm his temper.
(1) Who said this? (2) What is this character saying?
"What say you? Can you love the gentleman? / This night you shall behold him at our feast. / Read o’er the volume of young Paris’ face, / And find delight writ there with beauty’s pen. / Examine every married lineament."
(1) Lady Capulet
(2) She is asking if Juliet thinks she can come to love Lord Paris, who will begin courting her at the Capulet feast.
(1) In Act 1, Scene 2, who approaches Lord Capulet to ask for Juliet's hand in marriage?
(2) How does Lord Capulet respond?
(3) How do the Monatgues find out about the Capulet feast?
(1) Lord Paris
(2) He says Juliet is currently too young to marry, as she just turned 14, but that Lord Paris was welcome to court her at the Capulet feast that evening.
(3) The Capulet servant who was responsible for distributing the invitations could not read. He coincidentally asked if Romeo could help him read the guest list. That was how the Montagues found out about the feast, and intend to crash it so that Romeo might be able to see Rosaline there.
What mythological figure does Mercutio allude to when teasing Romeo for his lover's fantasies, and why?
Queen Mab is a fairy referred to in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, where "she is the fairies' midwife." In a way, Mercutio is asking Romeo to stay away from the flights of fancy that love and dreams inspire, or not to trust these fanciful dreams that could lead to trickery or violence.
(1) Who said this and (2) what is this character saying?
"Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, / Profaners of this neighbor-stainèd steel— / Will they not hear? . . . Three civil brawls bred of an airy word . . . Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets . . . If ever you disturb our streets again, / Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace."
(1) Prince Escalus
(2) Breaks up the fight between the feuding families in Act 1, Scene 1. He says that if the families continue their fighting, someone will pay for it with their life.