Romeo | The son and heir of Montague and Lady Montague. |
Juliet | The daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet. |
Friar Laurence | Priest who secretly marries Romeo and Juliet in hopes that the union might eventually bring peace to Verona. |
Nurse | Juliet’s faithful confidante and loyal intermediary in Juliet’s affair with Romeo. |
Mercutio | A family member of the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend. |
Tybalt | A Capulet, Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side. Vain, fashionable, supremely aware of courtesy and the lack of it, he becomes aggressive, violent, and quick to draw his sword when he feels his pride has been injured. Once drawn, his sword is something to be feared. He hates Montagues. |
Lord Montague | Romeo’s father, the patriarch of the Montague clan and bitter enemy of Capulet. At the beginning of the play, he is chiefly concerned about Romeo’s melancholy. |
Lady Montague | Romeo’s mother, Montague’s wife. She dies of grief after Romeo is exiled from Verona. |
Lord Capulet | The head of the Capulet family, father of Juliet, husband of Lady Capulet, and enemy, for unexplained reasons, of Montague. |
Lady Capulet | Juliet’s mother, Capulet’s wife. A woman who herself married young (by her own estimation she gave birth to Juliet at close to the age of fourteen), she is eager to see her daughter marry Paris. She is an ineffectual mother, relying on the Nurse for support. |
Paris | A kinsman of the Prince, and the suitor of Juliet most preferred by Capulet. Once Capulet has promised him he can marry Juliet, he behaves very presumptuous toward Juliet, acting as if they are already married. |
Benvolio | Montague’s nephew, Romeo’s cousin and thoughtful friend, he makes a genuine effort to defuse violent scenes in public places, though Mercutio accuses him of having a nasty temper in private. He spends most of the play trying to help Romeo get his mind off Rosaline, even after Romeo has fallen in love with Juliet. |
Prince Escalus | The Prince of Verona. A kinsman of Mercutio and Paris. As the seat of political power in Verona, he is concerned about maintaining the public peace at all costs. |
Balthasar | Romeo’s dedicated servant, who brings Romeo the news of Juliet’s death, unaware that her death is a ruse. |
Sampson & Gregory | Two servants of the house of Capulet, who, like their master, hate the Montagues. At the outset of the play, they successfully provoke some Montague men into a fight. |
Abram | Montague’s servant, who fights with Sampson and Gregory in the first scene of the play. |
Peter | A Capulet servant who invites guests to Capulet’s feast and escorts the Nurse to meet with Romeo. |
Rosaline | The woman with whom Romeo is infatuated at the beginning of the play. Rosaline never appears onstage, but it is said by other characters that she is very beautiful and has sworn to live a life of chastity. |
Who’s Who in Romeo and Juliet
August 1, 2019