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Romeo and Juliet: the characters
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The lovers grow up fast during the play. The characters around them push them towards their fate.
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo is impulsive and passionate. He forgets Rosaline in moments: "Did my heart love till now?"
After killing Tybalt he cries "O, I am fortune's fool!"
Juliet is not yet fourteen, but grows bold and decisive. She sees the problem at once: "My only love sprung from my only hate!" At the end she acts alone: "O happy dagger!"
After killing Tybalt he cries "O, I am fortune's fool!"
Juliet is not yet fourteen, but grows bold and decisive. She sees the problem at once: "My only love sprung from my only hate!" At the end she acts alone: "O happy dagger!"
Hot and cool heads
Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, is aggressive: "I hate the word, / As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee."
Mercutio, Romeo's witty friend, mocks love and dies cursing both houses.
Benvolio tries to keep the peace.
Mercutio, Romeo's witty friend, mocks love and dies cursing both houses.
Benvolio tries to keep the peace.
The adults
Lord Capulet seems caring at first ("My child is yet a stranger in the world") but explodes when Juliet refuses Paris: "Hang thee, young baggage!"
The Nurse is loving and comic but betrays Juliet by advising her to marry Paris.
Friar Laurence warns "Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast", yet his rushed plans fail.
The Nurse is loving and comic but betrays Juliet by advising her to marry Paris.
Friar Laurence warns "Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast", yet his rushed plans fail.
How does Lord Capulet change towards Juliet?
- In Act 1 he says she is too young and he wants her consent.
- In Act 3 he calls her "young baggage" and threatens to disown her.
- This shows the power fathers held over daughters.
Answer: He moves from protective father to furious patriarch who threatens to throw her out.
Romeo: impulsive. Juliet: young but grows decisive. Tybalt: aggressive. Mercutio: witty. Capulet: caring then tyrannical. Nurse: loving but betrays Juliet. Friar: wise words, failed plans.
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