Romeo and Juliet Study Guide Please answer all questions in complete sentences, and be sure to answer all parts of the question. The Prologue 1. In what city does the play take place? 2. What does the Prologue say is the only thing that will end their parents rage? 3. What is the purpose of the Prologue? Act One: Scene One 4. Who starts the fight? What families are involved in the fight? 5. Who is Tybalt? Why is he dangerous? 6. What warning does the Prince give the street fighters? 7. Where is Romeo? What is his problem? With whom is the problem? Act One: Scene Two 8. Does Lord Capulet want Juliet to marry at her age? Who changes his mind? How? 9. What is the servant s job? What is the problem? 10.Who helps the servant? 11. What information does Romeo find? What does Romeo plan to do?
Act One: Scene Three 12. Describe the relationship between the Nurse and Juliet. 13. What news does Lady Capulet have for Juliet and the Nurse? What is Juliet s reaction? What is the Nurse s reaction? Act One: Scene Four 14. Who is in the street? What are they doing? 15. What is Romeo s state of mind? 16. Describe Mercutio s character. Describe Mercutio s story. 17. How does Romeo relate to the story? 18. What does Romeo fear? Act One: Scene Five 19. What are the people at the party all doing? 20. When does Romeo first see Juliet? 21. Who first recognizes Romeo? What is his reaction? 22. What does Lord Capulet want him to do? 23. What happens when Romeo and Juliet meet?
Act Two: Chorus 24. What is the purpose of the chorus? Act Two: Scene One 25. How does Benvolio describe Romeo s love? Act Two: Scene Two 26. Are Romeo and Juliet concerned about their names? Why or why not? 27. What do Romeo and Juliet proclaim to one another? 28. Why is this scene considered to be the most well-known scene in all dramas? 29. What do they plan to do? 30. Where is Romeo planning to go? Act Two: Scene Three 31. Why has Romeo gone to see Friar Lawrence? 32. What fault does the Friar find in Romeo? Act Two: Scene Four 33. Why is Tybalt looking for Romeo? 34. Why are Mercutio and Benvolio upset with Romeo?
35. Why has the Nurse come for Romeo? 36. What part does the Nurse play in Romeo and Juliet s schemes? 37. What does Romeo have planned? Act Two: Scene Five 38. Why is Juliet upset at the beginning of the scene? 39. Why is the Nurse waiting to give Juliet her news? 40. What does the nurse have for Juliet? Act Two: Scene Six 41. What advice does the Friar have for Romeo? 42. What does Romeo ask Juliet to do? What is her response? 43. What is the Friar s tone of voice at the end of the scene? Act Three: Scene One 44. How does the weather characterize the tone of this scene? 45. What causes the sword fight between Mercutio and Tybalt? 46. How is Mercutio killed? 47. Why does Romeo fight Tybalt?
48. What does Romeo mean by calling himself fortune s fool? 49. What does he realize will happen to him and Juliet? 50. What is the story told by Benvolio? How does Shakespeare continually use this character? 51. What is Romeo s punishment? Why? 52. Why won t the Prince show Romeo mercy? Act Three: Scene Two 53. What do we know that Juliet does not know at the beginning of the scene? What type of irony is being used? 54. What news does the Nurse bring Juliet? What is her reaction? 55. Who does the Nurse blame? Why? Is she being selfish or is she concerned for Juliet? 56. Why does Juliet turn against the Nurse? 57. When Juliet comprehends what has happened, why does she fix on the word banished? 58. What is the Nurse going to do?
Act Three: Scene Three 59. What is Romeo s reaction to his punishment? 60. Why is the Friar angry with Romeo? 61. What does banishment mean to Romeo? How does this compare to what banishment means to Juliet? 62. How is Romeo a madman as the Friar portrays? 63. What news does the Nurse bring to Romeo? 64. What does the Friar tell Romeo? 65. Where is Romeo going? Act Three: Scene Four 66. What do we know that the Capulets, Montagues, and Paris are ignorant of? What type of irony is being used? 67. What news does Lord Capulet have for Juliet? Act Three: Scene Five 68. Why does Juliet insist she hears the nightingale? 69. Why must Romeo leave Juliet? 70. What does Lady Capulet think is the reason for Juliet s ill feelings? What is the true reason?
71. What plans does Lady Capulet have for Romeo? 72. What news does Lady Capulet have for Juliet? What is her response? 73. How does Lord Capulet take Juliet s refusal? What does Lord Capulet think is the reason for Juliet s refusal? 74. What is the Nurses solution to Juliet s problem? 75. What plans does Juliet have? Act Four: Scene One 76. According to Paris, why is Lord Capulet pushing his daughter to marry so quickly? 77. Why has Juliet gone to Friar Lawrence? 78. What is the Friar s plan? Describe in detail. 79. Where is Romeo? Act Four: Scene Two 80. What news does Juliet have for her father? Act Four: Scene Three 81. Why does Juliet say she wants to be alone?
82. How does Juliet explain the Friar s action? 83. What vision finally makes her seize the potion and drink it? Act Four: Scene Four 84. How does this scene contrast with what has just happened to Juliet? Act Four: Scene Five 85. What is the nurses reaction to Juliet? Lady Capulet s reaction? Lord Capulet s reaction? Paris s reaction? The Friar s reaction? 86. Whose reactions are honest? Acting? 87. What consolation does the Friar offer? 88. Does Lord Capulet express any guilt? 89. What is the purpose of Peter and the musicians? Act Five: Scene One 90. What news does Balthasar have for Romeo? 91. Has Romeo received the letter from the Friar? 92. Why has he gone to the apothecary?
93. What poison has Romeo sold the apothecary? Act Five: Scene Two 94. Why didn t Friar John get the letter to Romeo? 95. Where does Friar Lawrence have to go? Why? Act Five: Scene Three 96. Why is Paris in the tomb? 97. What is the excuse Romeo gives to Balthasar for wanting to go into the tomb alone? What will Romeo do if Balthasar enters? 98. What does Romeo want Paris to do? Why? 99. What does Paris do to provoke Romeo? 100.Why does Romeo see Paris as another victim? 101. When Romeo sees Tybalt s body, is he angry or does he ask for forgiveness? 102. What has Romeo done to himself? 103. When Juliet awakens, what does the Friar want her to do? 104. What does Juliet decide to do?
105. How do Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet react to the sight in the tomb? 106. Why does the Prince want Montague to go to the vault? 107. What does the Friar tell those in the tomb? Describe story in as much detail as possible. 108. What does the letter written by Romeo say? 109. Where does the Prince place blame? 110. What becomes of the feud between the families at the play s end?