Name Hr. ROMEO AND JULIET Study Questions Directions: Answer the following questions as completely as you can. ACT I ACT 1, SC. 1 1. What atmosphere (mood) does the prologue suggest will be most strongly stressed in the play? 2. Why do you think Shakespeare began the play with a fight between servants rather than a clash between Benvolio and Tybalt? 3. What threat does Prince Escalus make against the enemies of peace? 4. What is Romeo s mood in this first scene and what has caused it? 5. What does Benvolio do to change Romeo s mood? 6. What is the name of the poetic form of the prologue? 7. Whose servants actually begin the fight in the street? 8. Where was Romeo during the fight? 9. What is Romeo s problem?
10. What does Benvolio want Romeo to do to forget his problem? ACT 1, SC. 2 11. Who is it that wants to marry Juliet? 12. What does Juliet s father say to the proposal? 13. What do you think is Shakespeare s purpose in having the Capulet s plan a party? 14. Why does Romeo decide to go to the party? 15. How does Romeo happen to get invited to the party anyway? ACT 1, SC. 3 16. Who brings up the subject of marriage to Juliet? 17. What is Juliet s attitude toward marrying Paris? ACT 1, SC. 4 18. Does Romeo feel good about going to the party? How do you know? Below, copy down the line references which tell the reader his feelings.
19. Who is Romeo leaving his fate in the hand of? ACT 1. SC. 5 20. What is the atmosphere as the scene opens? 21. What happens to Romeo the moment he catches sight of Juliet? 22. List three things that Romeo compares Juliet to when he first sees her: a. b. c. 23. How is the atmosphere affected by Tybalt s attitude toward Romeo? 24. Do Romeo and Juliet know who the other is? 25. Romeo is masked as a palmer and makes double meanings of hands kissing in prayer as lips can kiss. Does Juliet fall in love, too? 26. What is the atmosphere as the scene ends and the two realize who the other is?
ACT II ACT II, SC. 1 1. Why does Romeo hide from Benvolio and Mercutio? 2. Who do Benvolio and Mercutio think Romeo is in love with? ACT II, SC. 2 (AKA: THE FAMOUS BALCONY SCENE) 3. Where does Romeo go? 4. Does Juliet know he is there at first? 5. What does Romeo say he wishes he were so that he might be close to Juliet? 6. In Act 1, Sc. 5 Romeo compares Juliet to a torch. What comparison to light does he make here? 7. What is Juliet saying - out loud - that she thinks no one hears? Is she in love with Romeo? 8. What s this about a rose? What comparison does she make here?
9. When they finally talk, what plan do Romeo and Juliet make? 10. What time in the morning is Juliet to send a messenger? 11. What does Juliet compare parting to at the end of the scene? 12. How is Romeo s mood different here than at the beginning of the play? 13. Why is loving Juliet different than loving Rosaline? ACT II, SC. 3 14. Who does Romeo go to see very early in the morning? 15. What is it that he asks of Friar Laurence? 16. Why does Friar Laurence consent? What is his reasoning? 17. Friar Laurence says wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast. What does this mean? ACT II, SC. 4 18. Who is wondering where Romeo has gone?
19. What threat are they discussing? 20. Why does Mercutio consider Romeo unable to answer the threat? 21. The party was Sunday night. This is Monday morning. Why is Romeo so happy that no amount of teasing will upset him? 22. Who comes on the scene as Juliet s messenger? 23. This scene is comic relief. Who do Romeo s friends make fun of, and what do they call her? 24. What are the plans that Romeo has made? 25. Explain the need for a rope ladder. ACT II, SC. 5 26. What is Juliet waiting for in sc. 5?
27. Does the Nurse seem to approve of Romeo? Why do you think yes or no? 28. What excuse is Juliet to give for leaving the house? ACT II, SC. 6 29. All seems to be going smoothly for Romeo and Juliet. Copy some lines from scene six which foreshadow that this happiness may not continue... 30. Do you feel that Romeo approaches love cautiously or impulsively? Explain. ACT III Act III, sc. i 1. Why is Mercutio roaming the streets in the beginning of Act III? 2. Who is trying to get him to think rationally? 3. Who is Tybalt looking for? 4. WHY is he looking for that person?
5. When Romeo comes upon the scene, where has he just been? 6. Why does Romeo tell Tybalt that he loves Tybalt s name and cannot fight? 7. Who starts the first fight? 8. How does Mercutio happen to be stabbed? 9. Do you think that Tybalt really intended to harm Mercutio? 10. Do Romeo and his friends think Mercutio is really hurt at first? 11. What curse does Mercutio put on the families? Copy the lines. 12. What does Romeo do to avenge his friend s death? 13. Who is the second person killed?
14. Why do Romeo s friends tell him to run and hide? Act III, sc. ii 15. Who tells Juliet about Tybalt s death? 16. How does Juliet feel toward Romeo at first? 17. Out in the street the witnesses are telling their views. What does Benvolio say on Romeo s behalf? 18. What does the Prince decree for Romeo- seeing that the true instigators are dead? Act III, sc. iii 19. Where does Romeo go to hide? 20. Who goes there to seek him out? 21. What is brought from Juliet as a token of her love? 22. Friar Laurence says Romeo has three things (at least) to be happy about. What are these three?
a. b. c. 23. When does Romeo have to leave town? Act III, sc. iv 24. Why does Lord Capulet say to Paris that he hasn t had much time to talk to Juliet about marriage? 25. What does Lord Capulet say he is prepared to arrange to cheer Juliet? 26. What day does he choose for the wedding? Act III, sc. v 27. Juliet doesn t want Romeo to leave. How does she try to convince him that it is still night? 28. Romeo has to leave quickly. Who is coming to Juliet s room and why? 29. Juliet says to Romeo, thinks t thou we shall ever meet again? What does he reply? 30. When Juliet s parents enter, they find her crying. Why does her mother think she s crying? 31. How does Juliet react to her parents news?
32. What does her father threaten if she does not follow his wishes? 33. After her parents leave, what advice does the nurse give to Juliet? 34. Juliet decides to go to Friar Laurence for help. What excuse does she give to the nurse for going to the Friar s? ACT IV ACT IV, SC. 1 1. Where does Juliet go at the beginning of Act IV? 2. Why does she go there? 3. Who is there when she first arrives? 4. Is Juliet desperate? How do you know? Write down the lines. 5. What is Friar Laurence s plan? 6. How long will the potion last? ACT IV, SC. 2 7. Juliet apologizes to her father? Why?
8. What happens to the day of the wedding? ACT IV, SC. 3 9. What are three possibilities which Juliet thinks about while preparing to take the potion? a. b. c. 10. What does Juliet plan to do if the potion doesn t work and she wakes up the next morning? ACT IV, SC. 4 11. Why does this scene show up in the play? What information does it give to the audience about how the Capulets feel about the upcoming wedding? ACT IV, SC. 5 12. Who finds Juliet dead? 13. How does Friar Laurence behave at the end of this act? What does he say to convince everyone that life has to go on?
ACT V ACT V, SC.1 1. Where has Romeo been staying during his banishment? 2. In which city did the story begin? 3. What news does Balthazar bring to Romeo? 4. Is Balthazar aware of the truth? 5. Romeo decides to go back to see Juliet. He sends Balthazar to hire horses for the journey. Where does Romeo go in the meantime? 6. What does Romeo buy? For what purpose? ACT V, SC. 2 7. Who is Friar John?
8. Why didn t he deliver the letter to Romeo? 9. Where does Friar Laurence go - in a hurry? ACT V, SC. 3 10. Who enters the churchyard (graveyard)? 11. What is his reason for coming? 12. What does he have his page do? 13. Why does Romeo send Balthazar away when they enter the churchyard? 14. Does Balthazar leave? 15. What happens between Romeo and Paris? 16. Does Romeo know whom he has killed at first? 17. Where does Paris ask to be buried?
18. Romeo says his good buys to Juliet and takes the poison. Who next appears upon the scene? 19. When Juliet awakes, does she see Romeo right away? 20. Why does Friar Laurence try to prevent her from seeing Romeo? 21. The Friar leaves. What does Juliet try to do? 22. How does Juliet kill herself? 23. All the watchmen, the Capulets, Lord Montague, the Prince, the Friar, the Page, and Balthazar gather together to go over the facts in the case. What has Romeo given Balthazar to give to Lord Montague? 24. Where is Lady Montague? 25. What do Capulet and Montague agree to do as a reminder of this event? 26. Who has died in this play - and how? a. b.
c. d. e. f. Make an effort, not an excuse. Unknown