Character Traits/Actions
Exhibited by Romeo at the very beginning of the play due to his unrequited love for Rosaline.
What is melancholy (or lovesickness)?
Spoken by the Chorus before Act 1, this introductory speech lays out the themes of inescapable fate ("star-crossed lovers") and the destructive impact of the families' "ancient grudge."
What is the Prologue?
The foundational conflict driving the entire play, established in the Prologue and Act 1, Scene 1.
What is the feud between the Montagues and Capulets?
Before the Capulet party, Romeo expresses a sense of foreboding about an "untimely death" linked to the night's events.
What is his premonition or fear of fate?
This word, often used by servants, means "soon" or "at once."
What is "Anon"?
"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!"
Who is Romeo?
Juliet initially displays this trait when discussing marriage with her mother, agreeing to consider Paris if it's her parents' wish.
What is obedience (or dutifulness)?
In her famous "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?" soliloquy, Juliet explores the theme that one's essential self matters more than this arbitrary social label.
What is a name (or family identity)?
Juliet grapples with this internal conflict upon realizing Romeo, whom she loves, is a member of her family's enemy house.
What is Love vs. Family Loyalty (or Duty)?
Juliet utters this morbid line when she discovers Romeo's identity: "My grave is like to be my..."
What is "...wedding bed"?
Juliet uses this word, meaning "why," when questioning the importance of Romeo's name in the balcony scene.
What is "Wherefore"?
"Compare her face with some that I shall show, / And I will make thee think thy swan a crow."
Who is Benvolio?
This Capulet cousin embodies aggression and is quick to anger, especially towards Montagues.
Who is Tybalt?
Friar Lawrence's soliloquy about the dual nature of herbs highlights the theme that everything in nature, including human passion, contains the potential for both _____ and _____.
What is good and evil (or harm/poison)?
The Prince represents the conflict between the families' private war and this civic necessity.
What is public peace (or law and order)?
Friar Lawrence warns Romeo before the marriage that "These violent delights have..." hinting at the destructive nature of their passion.
What is "...violent ends"?
The provocative, insulting gesture Sampson uses against the Montague servants in Act 1.
What is "bite my thumb"?
"Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face, / And find delight writ there with beauty's pen;"
Who is Lady Capulet?
Benvolio performs this action during the street brawl in Act 1 and again before the fatal duel in Act 3.
What is try to stop the fighting (or keep the peace)?
Mercutio's fantastical Queen Mab speech delves into the theme of dreams, suggesting they often arise from trivial, vain, or base waking _____.
What are desires (or anxieties/fantasies)?
Mercutio's pragmatic and often mocking view of love clashes with Romeo's idealized and passionate perspective, representing this conflict.
What is Cynicism vs. Romanticism?
As he lies dying, Mercutio repeats this curse on the warring families.
What is "A plague o' both your houses!"?
This word means "confession," the reason Juliet tells her parents she is going to Friar Lawrence's cell.
What is "Shrift"?
"Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! / Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear, / So soon forsaken?"
Who is Friar Lawrence?
The Nurse acts as a go-between for the lovers, performing this crucial task in Act 2 to arrange the wedding details.
What is carry messages between Romeo and Juliet?
Mercutio's final words, "A plague o' both your houses!", tragically underscore this theme regarding the central family conflict.
What is the theme of the destructive consequences (or futility) of the feud?
The fatal fight between these two characters in Act 3 is a major escalation of the central feud.
Who are Mercutio and Tybalt?
As Romeo leaves Juliet's balcony after their wedding night, she remarks that he appears as pale as this.
What is "as one dead in the bottom of a tomb"?
A form of "to be," meaning "are," as in Juliet's line "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore ____ thou Romeo?"
What is "art"?
"Content thee, gentle coz, let him alone; / 'A bears him like a portly gentleman... Verona brags of him / To be a virtuous and well-govern'd youth."
Who is Lord Capulet?
Friar Lawrence secretly performs this action in his cell, hoping it will unite the feuding families.
What is marry Romeo and Juliet?
Romeo's despairing reaction to his sentence in Friar Lawrence's cell explores the theme that for passionate love, _____ is equivalent to death.
What is separation (or banishment)?
Romeo faces this internal conflict after slaying Tybalt – torn between avenging his friend and his new allegiance to Juliet's family.
What is Revenge vs. Love?
The Friar explicitly warns Romeo about the dangers of this, comparing it to consuming fire and powder, foreshadowing their demise.
What is intense, sudden passion (or loving too quickly/intensely)?
A common Shakespearean verb form meaning "does."
What is "Doth"?
"True, I talk of dreams, / Which are the children of an idle brain, / Begot of nothing but vain fantasy,"
Who is Mercutio?
Friar Lawrence exhibits this trait by agreeing to marry Romeo and Juliet, hoping to achieve a positive outcome (ending the feud) despite the risks.
What is being well-intentioned (or perhaps naive/resourceful)?
Friar Lawrence explicitly warns against this characteristic of the young lovers in his speech before the wedding, stating "These violent delights have violent ends / And in their triumph die, like fire and powder."
What is youthful impulsivity (or unchecked passion)?
Friar Lawrence hopes the marriage of Romeo and Juliet will resolve this overarching thematic conflict.
What is Hate vs. Love?
Lord Capulet tells Paris he thinks Juliet is too young for marriage in Act 1, foreshadowing the tragic consequences when he later does this.
What is force her into a hasty marriage (with Paris)?
Meaning "hurry" or "go quickly," the Nurse urges Juliet to do this to get to Friar Lawrence's cell for her marriage.
What is "Hie"?
"Younger than she are happy mothers made."
Who is Paris?