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ROMEO
"The young, passionate and impulsive hero of our play."
JULIET
"Juliet is only 13, but old beyond her years. She is passionate, warm and caring, prepared to risk everything for Romeo's love."
DAGGER
"In the final scene, Juliet kills herself with Romeo's dagger."
POISON
"Romeo buys poison from an apothecary, with which he ends his life. The drug given to Juliet by Friar Lawrence is also referred to as poison."
FEUD
"A feud is a bitter and long-standing dispute between two groups, such as the fight between the Capulets and the Montagues which has been going on for years."
APOTHECARY
"In Act V Romeo buys poison to kill himself from a poor apothecary. An apothecary is a kind of pharmacist, a shop-keeper dealing in drugs and all kinds of medicines."
MONTAGUE
"Romeo's family name - the family carries on a long-standing dispute with the Capulets."
CAPULET
"Juliet's family name - the family carries on a long-standing dispute with the Montagues."
MERCUTIO
"A friend of Romeo and a kinsman of Prince Escalus. Witty and lively, Mercutio is killed in Act III by Tybalt, setting off a chain of events which leads to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet."
ESCALUS
"Prince of Verona - he is a figure of great authority in the play, representing order (see THEMES). He appears three times - at the beginning, middle and end of the play."
VERONA
"The city state in Northern Italy where the story takes place."
PARIS
"A nobleman (a count) who seeks to marry Juliet. He is a relative of Prince Escalus and apparently a very eligible husband. He is killed by Romeo in Act V"
EXILE
"Romeo's punishment for killing Tybalt is to be sent into exile, or banished."
LOVE
"One of the major themes of the play (see THEMES). Consider all the different kinds of love shown between the major characters."
BENVOLIO
"A member of the Montague family and a good friend of Romeo."
TYBALT
"A fiery, aggressive member of the Capulet family (Juliet's cousin). He provokes the fight in Act III in which he kills Mercutio and he himself is killed by Romeo."
DEATH
"There are many deaths in the play, and also some important imagery regarding death (see IMAGERY)."
BALTHASAR
"Romeo's loyal man-servant."
TOMB
"The final scene of the play takes place at the tomb (or vault) of the Capulets. It is the family's traditional burial place."
NURSE
"Juliets Nurse has looked after her since infancy. She is a coarse humorous character, who gives life and laughter to the play."
FRIAR
"A priest. Friar Lawrence is a good friend of Romeo. His actions are intended to be helpful, but they contribute to the tragedy."
LAWRENCE
"Friar Lawrence is a good friend of Romeo. His actions are intended to be helpful, but they contribute to the tragedy."
ABRAHAM
"A servant of the Montagues, who is involved in the beginning of the brawl in the first scene of the play."
PETER
"A Capulet servant who accompanies and assists the Nurse."
SAMPSON
"A Capulet servant who is involved in the beginning of the brawl in the first scene of the play."
GREGORY
"A Capulet servant who is involved in the beginning of the brawl in the first scene of the play."
JOHN
"A Friar, a friend of Friar Lawrence. He is supposed to take a message to Romeo, and his failure to do so leads directly to the final tragedy."
ROSALINE
"Capulet's niece, and the centre of Romeo's futile love at the beginning of the play. She never actually appears as a speaking character."
MANTUA
"A city state neighbouring Verona where Romeo goes when he is banished."
BANISHED
"Romeo is banished from Verona by the Prince. The word is repeatedby Juliet to show her despair. N.B. the different pronunciation."
SHAKESPEARE
"Our favourite author! (See SHAKESPEARE for notes and a picture)."
GLOBE
"The theatre where most of Shakespeare's plays were first performed. (See GLOBE THEATRE for notes and pictures)."
LITDISK
"The best programmes on Literature!"
LIGHT
"There are many references to darkness and light in the play (See IMAGERY)."
DARKNESS
"There are many references to darkness and light in the play (See IMAGERY)."
PREMONITION
"Both Romeo and Juliet have premonitions of impending death or disaster (See Act I, scene iv and Act III, scene v)."
POTION
"Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a powerful potion which will make her lapse into a coma for 42 hours."
TRAGEDY
"In Shakespeare's tragedies, we always see the downfall and death of some noble character. In this case, both Romeo and Juliet take their own lives."
IMAGERY
"This is the use of language to present us with mental pictures. Metaphors and similes are both types of imagery. Look out for examples of Light/Dark imagery. (See IMAGERY)"
BALCONY
"The most famous romantic scene ever written takes place on Juliet's balcony. Romeo and Juliet poetically declare their love for each other."
FATE
"Fate or Fortune is one of the most important themes of the play. (See THEMES)."
PILGRIM
"Romeo is compared to a religious pilgrim when he first meets Juliet (See Act I, scene v)."