Romeo and Juliet Test Review Study Guide

In what city does this play take place? Verona
Why are Romeo and Juliet called “star-crossed” lovers? They were meant to be by the alignment of the stars.
Who is fighting at the beginning of the first scene? The servants of the Montagues and Capulets.
Who tries to break up the fighting? (at the beginning) Prince Escalus
What threat does the Prince make to Lord Montague and Lord Capulet? If they don’t stop fighting, he will kill them.
Benvolio and Montague describe the way Romeo has been acting. What do they have to say about him? He’s depressed.
Why is Romeo sad? He got rejected by Rosaline.
What is Benvolio’s advice to Romeo? Go to the party and get over it, find another woman.
Why does Capulet think it will be easier for Montague and him to keep the peace? They are older, wiser and calmer.
What does Paris ask about Capulet? To marry Juliet
What is Capulet’s first answer to Paris? Juliet is too young to get married.
A bit later Capulet appears to change his mind about Paris’ question. What does he then tell Paris? Wait 2 years and then come back again.
What problem does the servant have? He can’t read.
What is the name of the woman Romeo loves? (Before Juliet) Rosaline
What do Romeo and Benvolio decide to do? Go to the Capulet party.
How old is Juliet? 13
When Lady Capulet asks Juliet how she feels about marriage, what is Juliet’s answer? She feels that she is too young.
Following Juliet’s answer about marriage, what does Lady Capulet then tell Juliet? At her age, she was already married and a mother.
According to Mercutio, who or what is Queen Mab, and what does she or it do? Queen Mab is the queen of fairies and she brings dreams to people.
What does Mercutio say about dreams? Dreams are fantasies; they are fake.
What does Romeo think of Juliet the first time he sees her? Bow chicka wow wow
How does Tybalt recognize Romeo? His voice.
When Tybalt is ready to seize Romeo and throw him out of the party, what does Capulet say to Tybalt? Calm down and relax.
How does Romeo find out Juliet’s name? The Nurse
How does Juliet find out Romeo’s name? The Nurse
When Juliet appears on her balcony, what does Romeo compare her to? An angel
When Juliet leans her cheek on her hand, what does Romeo say? He wishes he was the glove.
Unaware of his presence, what does Juliet ask Romeo to say? She asks him to say his name.
Explain what Juliet says about names. Names don’t make a difference when people are in love.
Juliet asks how Romeo got into her place. The orchard walls are high, and Romeo’s life would be in danger if her relatives were to find him there. What is Romeo’s response to these questions? Love helped him get to her.
Why is Juliet embarrassed? Romeo was listening to her pour her heart out and she didn’t know.
Juliet is going to send someone to Romeo on the following day for what purpose? To tell them whether or not he will marry her.
What has Friar Lawrence been out gathering in his basket? Herbs for medicines/poisons
Explain lines 21-22: “Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied,/ And vice sometime by action dignified”? Things can go in different directions, good actions can turn bad, bad actions can turn good.
When Friar Lawrence sees Romeo, what comment does Friar Lawrence make about seeing Romeo so early in the morning? He thinks that Romeo was hanging out with Rosaline all night.
What does Friar Lawrence mean when he says to Romeo, “Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes”? They fall in love quickly by looks and fall out of love quickly.
Friar Lawrence agrees to perform the marriage ceremony for Romeo and Juliet for what reason? He thinks the marriage will end the family feud.
According to Mercutio, what kind of man is Tybalt? He is a good fighter.
What is the nurse saying to Romeo in line 157-163? She is upset at the way Mercutio treated her.
What will Juliet do or say so that she can meet Romeo? She’s going to confession.
What was the plan for the marriage? They both meet at Friar Lawrence’s cell to marry.
The nurse is supposed to be gone only a half hour, but she is actually gone for how long? 3 hours
How is the nurse behaving that frustrates Juliet? She won’t tell her the news-she teases Juliet by complaining about being in pain.
Why is Friar Laurence reluctant to marry Paris to Juliet? Juliet is married to Romeo
What is ironic about the conversation between Juliet and Paris? Juliet pretends she plans to marry Parris.
If Friar Laurence cannot help her, what does Juliet threaten to do? Kill herself
Describe Friar Laurence’s plan for Juliet. Juliet must agree to marry Paris, but the night before the wedding, she drinks a potion that makes her appear dead. When she wakes up, Romeo will be there to take her to Mantua, away from the feuding families.
What does Juliet say that makes her father happy? She consents to marry Paris.
How does Capulet change the wedding plans? He moves the wedding up a day from Thursday to Wednesday.
How does Juliet show her maturity and independence in the Act 4 Scene 3 where she is about to take the potion? She asks her mother and the nurse to leave her alone. She admits her fears about taking the potion.
What are some of the fears Juliet has about the potion? The potion may not work and she’ll have to marry Paris. The Friar may be trying to kill her. Waking up in the sealed tomb and suffocating or going crazy.
What is happening in Act 4 Scene 4 the morning after Juliet has taken the potion? There is hustle and bustle as the Capulets prepare for the wedding.
Describe the literary devices Shakespeare uses in describing Juliet’s death? Personifying death and using a simile to compare Juliet to a flower.
What does Friar Laurence say to comfort the Capulet family? Juliet is in a better place.
For which event are the Capulets now preparing? The family is now preparing a funeral.
What news does Balthasar bring Romeo? Balthasar tells Romeo that Juliet is dead.
What does Romeo mean when he says, “Then I defy you, stars!”? Free will vs. Fate. After hearing of Juliet’s death, Romeo says he will defy destiny/fate; he will take his own life.
What actions does Balthasar’s news prompt Romeo to do? It prompts Romeo to visit the apothecary and purchase poison to kill himself.
What does Friar John tell Friar Laurence? Friar John explains he could not deliver the letter to Romeo. There was a plague outbreak and Friar John was quarantined.
After hearing this news from Friar John, what does Friar Laurence intend to do? He plans to send a second letter to Romeo, but Romeo will not get it because he is headed to Verona.
Why is Paris at Juliet’s tomb? Paris comes to bring flowers and weep.
What are the two reasons Romeo gives Balthasar for entering the Capulet’s tomb? Romeo says he wants to behold her face and get her ring.
Why does Paris think Romeo has come to the tomb? Paris thinks Romeo plans to do something gruesome to Juliet’s body to continue the feud.
What is it about Juliet that should have told Romeo that she was not dead? She is warm and she has color in her cheeks.
Why doesn’t Friar Laurence stay in the tomb with Juliet after she awakens? The watchmen are on their way. He gives Juliet a moment’s privacy.
Why does Juliet kiss Romeo after he is dead? She kisses him to try to get poison off of his lips and onto her lips so she can die with him.
When Montague first arrives on the scene, what does he tell those gathered? Montague declares that Lady Montague has died from grief from Romeo’s exile.
What information does Romeo’s letter give? The events surrounding their life and their death.
How do Montague and Capulet plan to honor the memories of their children? They will build statues in their honor, and they will stop feuding.
Shakespeare restores order at the end of his tragedies. Explain how this is done in Romeo and Juliet. It is done fast and furiously in act 5.
How does Paris explain the sudden haste of the marriage plans? He says that Lord Capulet wants Juliet to get married to Paris to make Juliet happy, since he thinks that Juliet has been mourning all this time over Tybalt’s death.
Why doesn’t Juliet tell the nurse about her plans to drink the potion? She doesn’t trust the nurse anymore.
What excuse does Juliet give the nurse when she asks the nurse to let her sleep alone that night? Lady Capulet will be busy getting the wedding ready and the nurse should help her.
What does Romeo say to try and persuade Paris to leave? He is sad and wants to kill himself
What happens when Paris refuses to leave? Romeo and Paris duel. Romeo stabs and kills Paris.
How does Juliet succeed in taking her own life? She stabs and kills herself.
At the beginning of the scene, why does Benvolio think that there will be a fight? It’s hot outside, and the Capulet’s are out and about the town.
What does Mercutio accuse Benvolio of in lines 15-30? He has just a quick a temper as anyone else.
When Tybalt and Mercutio first begin arguing, what does Benvolio try to get them to do? Stop fighting or take it somewhere else (private) so they won’t get in trouble with the Prince
What does Tybalt call Romeo? a villain
Why won’t Romeo fight Tybalt? He loves Juliet, and doesn’t want to fight anyone of that household
What does Mercutio think the reason Romeo refuses to fight? He is a coward.
Why does Mercutio keep repeating, ” A plague o’ both your houses?” If Romeo would’ve fought, then he wouldn’t be dying. He’s cursing them because he is dying because of their feud.
What does Romeo say that Juliet’s love has done to him? The marriage has “softened” him.
Why does Romeo call himself “fortune’s fool”? He has terrible luck.
When Benvolio relates to the Prince what happened, what does he say Romeo tried to do before Mercutio was killed? Tried to keep from fighting Tybalt
What does Lady Capulet accuse Benvolio of? Lying because he’s a Montague
What is Romeo’s punishment for killing Tybalt? banishment
Why is Juliet so impatient for the Nurse to return? She wants to know the latest news on Romeo because Romeo has been gone for so long.
Describe Juliet’s rapidly changing attitude towards Romeo in this scene. First, she is upset with Romeo for killing Tybalt. Then she is affectionate towards him, because he is her husband, and she should defend him. She also feels regret for marrying him.
What piece of news has upset Juliet the most? Romeo’s banishment
What does the nurse promise to do? Go and get Romeo by nighttime to comfort Juliet
How does Romeo react to the news of his banishment? He is ungrateful because everyone else will get to see Juliet, but he won’t.
Romeo tells Friar Laurence that he cannot know or understand how he feels. Why? Friar has never felt real love before and he has never loved someone else, and he’s not young.
What argument does Friar Laurence use to prevent Romeo from killing himself? Juliet’s alive, Tybalt’s dead, and he got a lighter punishment than what he deserved according to the law of the Prince.
What plan does Friar Laurence reveal to Romeo? Go and see Juliet, but leave immediately, go in the morning and disguise himelf and leave for Mantua. Live there until they can create a plan for him to return after telling the Prince/ families of his marriage to Juliet.
What does the Nurse give to Romeo? the ring from juliet
What does Capulet tell his wife to say to Juliet? Juliet will be getting married to Paris on that Thursday.
As Romeo is preparing to leave Juliet, what argument does she use to convince him to stay? it is still night, because she hears the nightingale
What is it that convinces Juliet a bit later that Romeo should leave? She doesn’t want him to die because of her
Just as Romeo is about to descend the rope ladder and leave Juliet, what does Juliet say about the way he looks? he looked pale and like he was in a tomb
Why does Lady Capulet think Juliet is crying? Because Tybalt is dead
After Lady Capulet breaks the news about Paris, what is Juliet’s response? She doesn’t want to marry Paris on Thursdayshe would rather marry Romeo (whom Lady Capulet thinks is her enemy)
If Juliet’s mother does not arrange to delay the marriage, what will Juliet do? kill herself
What is Capulet’s reaction to Juliet’s threats? he threatens to kick Juliet out and disown her
What is the Nurse’s advice to Juliet? Forget about Romeo and marry Paris
How does Juliet’s attitude change toward the Nurse? She is never going to trust her again.
What “scheme” does Juliet devise to get rid of the Nurse and to get out of the house? She needs to go to confession at the church and tell Friar Lawrence her conflict about marrying Paris. If Friar Lawrence tells her the same thing that the nurse told her, then she is going to kill herself.
Explain Romeo’s reaction to his punishment. Romeo is depressed because he cannot see Juliet ever again since he is banished from Verona.
What faults does Friar Lawrence accuse Romeo of? He accuses Romeo of not listening to him.
alliteration repetition of the same consonant sounds in words that are close together in a poem, or repetition of consonant sounds that are very similar
allusion reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports, science, or pop culture
apostrophe when a character speaks aloud to a person who is either not present on stage or dead; also, when a character speaks aloud to an idea, such as death
aside words that are spoken by a character in a play to the audience or to another character but are not supposed to be overheard by the others on stage
blank verse poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter
comic relief the use of humor in a tense scene
conceit a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphors. A conceit differs from a traditional simile or metaphor because the comparison is surprising, unique, or different from what one expects
couplet two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
dramatic irony occurs when the audience of the reader knows something important that a character in the story does not
foil character who is used as a contrast to another character
foreshadowing the use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in the plot
hyperbole an extreme exageration
iambic pentameter line of poetry that contains five iambs (an iamb is a metrical foot that contains an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable)
metaphor figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, in which one thing becomes another thing without the use of the words “like” or “as”
monologue a speech by one character on stage, though he or she is not alone on stage when this speech is made
oxymoron two contradictory words placed back-to-back, or nearly back-to-back
paradox a contradictory expression; a complete sentence/thought that expresses two opposite ideas
personification special kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human
prologue an opening to a play or a novel, often introducing major themes/ideas
pun a play on the multiple meanings of a word, or on two words that sound alike but have different meanings
rhyme scheme the pattern of rhymes in a poem. The rhyme scheme is indicated by the use of a different letter of the alphabet
simile figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using the words “like” or “as”
soliloquy an unusually long speech in which a character who is on stage alone expresses his or her thoughts aloud
sonnet 14-line lyric poem that is usually written in iambic pentameter and that has one of several rhyme schemes (ABABCDCDEFEFGG)
August 4, 2019