Introduction to Romeo and Juliet

The cast of characters

RomeoThe hero of the story and the

son of Montague and

Lady Montague. He

falls in love with Juliet

JulietThe daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet.

She falls in love with Romeo.

Friar LaurenceHe secretly marries Romeo

and Juliet in hopes that their marriage might bring

peace to Verona.

NurseJuliet's faithful

caregiver. She knows about Juliet's secret

relationship with Romeo.

MercutioA relative to the Prince

of Verona, and Romeo's close friend.

TybaltA Capulet and Juliet's

cousin on her mother's side. He hates the

Montagues and is quick to start a fight.

Lord Montague

Romeo's father and head of the Montague

family. He is a bitter enemy of Capulet.

Lady Montague

Romeo's mother, Montague's wife. She dies of grief

after Romeo kicked out of the town of 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.

ParisA relative of the Prince. He wants to marry Juliet,

but Juliet does not want to marry him. Juliet’s parents

would like her to marry Paris.

BenvolioRomeo's cousin who

spends most of the play trying to help Romeo forget about an old

girlfriend name Rosaline.

Prince Escalus

The Prince of Verona. He wants there to be peace in his city.

Balthasar Romeo's servant, who brings

Romeo the news of Juliet's death, unaware that she is

only pretending to be dead so she can then run away with

Romeo.

RosalineThe woman with whom

Romeo thinks he is in love with at the

beginning of the play.

Works Cited

All images are from imdb.com and come from Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film