10 Questions
What does the Prince declare at the beginning of the play when the families are feuding?
That this feud needs to end and that if disagreements or fights happen again it will lead to a death penalty
How does Friar Lawrence react when he hears that Romeo has fallen in love with Juliet?
He is surprised and sort of angry that Romeo was in love with Rosaline and now says he loves and wants to marry Juliet
What literary device is used in the phrase 'What's in a name? The thing which we call a rose would smell just as sweet if it had any other name.'?
Metaphor
What is the term for combining two opposing words, like 'pretty ugly'?
Oxymoron
What is the central theme of the play?
Love, Romantic love, Love conquers hate
What causes Romeo to murder Tybalt?
Benvolio's murder by Tybalt
What ultimately leads to Romeo's death?
Juliet's fake death
What is Friar Lawrence's role in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?
Providing bad advice and a failed plan
What is the initial reason for Juliet's weeping according to Capulet after Tybalt's death?
Tybalt's death
Why does Paris wish to kill Romeo at Juliet's tomb?
He thinks Romeo will harm the bodies of Juliet and Tybalt
Study Notes
Characters' Roles
- Rosaline motivates Romeo to attend the party where he meets Juliet
- Tybalt kills Mercutio, leading to Romeo's murder of Tybalt and subsequent banishment
- Romeo's actions lead to the deaths of everyone, contributing to the tragedy
- Juliet's fake death leads to Romeo's death
- Mercutio convinces Romeo to attend the ball, and his death leads to Romeo's banishment
- Friar Lawrence's bad advice contributes to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet
- The Nurse is a friend to Juliet and helps her marry Romeo
Plot Points
- Romeo attends the Capulet's party to see Rosaline
- Romeo and Juliet know each other for less than a day before agreeing to marry
- Friar Lawrence hopes the marriage between Romeo and Juliet will end the feud between their families
- Romeo seeks refuge in Mantua after killing Tybalt
- Juliet is initially sad and angry at Romeo for killing Tybalt
- Capulet thinks Juliet is weeping for Tybalt's death
- Juliet agrees to marry Paris as part of her and Friar's plan
- Paris wants to kill Romeo at the tomb because he thinks Romeo is desecrating Juliet and Tybalt's bodies
- Friar Lawrence's plan fails due to the undelivered letter
- Romeo and Juliet die by drinking poison and stabbing themselves
Quotes and Literary Devices
- "What, art thou drawn and among these heartless hinds?Turn thee Benvolio." - Tybalt
- "But soft!What light through yonder window breaks?It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." - Romeo
- "I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve for sweet discourses in our times to come." - Romeo
- "What's in a name?The thing which we call a rose would smell just as sweet if it had any other name." - Juliet
- "Give me some present counsel, or, behold, 'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife shall play the umpire." - Juliet
- "Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavory guide!Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark!" - Romeo
- "Take this bottle, and when you're in bed, drink this distilled liquor.Immediately, a cold and quieting liquid shall run through all your veins.Your pulse will stop.There'll be no warmth or breath to prove that you're alive." - Friar Lawrence
- Oxymoron: combines two opposing words
- Soliloquy: character speaking their thoughts aloud
- Pun: two words sound alike but have different meanings
- Malapropism: similar sounding words mistaken for each other
- Alliteration: repetition of the same sound
- Personification: giving human-like qualities to nonhuman objects
Themes
- Love
- Romantic love
- Love conquers hate
Explore the roles of key characters in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, including Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, Mercutio, and Friar Lawrence, and their contributions to the tragic outcome.
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