Outline of the main characters from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

As part of our FREE character profiles for 12 key GCSE texts. We want to help you revise and learn GCSE English and GCSE English Literature to your full potential.

We have listed profiles of the key characters from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare below. We hope the information provided helps you with your GCSE English Literature.

Romeo – Romeo is a sixteen year old idealistic and impulsive character. He is son of Lord and Lady Montague and a good friend to Mercutio, Benvolio and Friar Lawrence. His family and Juliet’s family the Capulets are involved in a long violent dispute. Prior to meeting Juliet he is in love with a woman called Rosaline, which challenges the depth of his feelings for Juliet. He proves himself to be genuine by marrying Juliet in secret as he would rather die than live a life without her in it.  

Juliet – Juliet is a beautiful thirteen-year-old girl. She is the daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet and her closest friend is her nurse. At the beginning of the play Juliet is depicted as a naive girl from a sheltered, aristocratic background. This depiction of Juliet changes after she falls in love with Romeo and her character develops into that of a courageous and passionate young woman who is willing to go to great lengths to be with her love. She even forsakes her friendship with her nurse to be with Romeo.

Friar Lawrence – Friar Lawrence is a Catholic friar. He proves himself to be a good friend to Romeo and Juliet. Fast-thinking Friar Lawrence marries Romeo in Juliet in secret and hopes that their marriage may one day end the violent rift between the two feuding families. He concocts a potion for the lovers designed to allow the lovers to elope.Kind, civic-minded, a proponent

Mercutio – Mercutio is Romeo’s best friend. Mercutio is both witty and satirical. His words are imaginative and sometimes bitter or twistedMercutio likes to use sexual innuendo in his speech. He hates self-important and affected people who care too much about how they look. Mercutio believes that Romeo’s romanticised idea of love is merely lust and is vocal in his opinions.

The Nurse - Juliet’s nurse cared for Juliet since she was a baby and even breast-fed the infant Juliet herself. The Nurse is a sentimental yet crude character who adds humour to the play through her speeches and her inappropriate comments. Juliet confides in The Nurse about her relationship with Romeo. The Nurse keeps Juliet’s love for Romeo a secret and the two women are close friends until they argue at the end of the play. Similarly to Mercutio, The Nurse believes in lust rather than love and does not agree with Juliet’s complete faith in a perfect love.

Tybalt – Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin and despises the Montague family. He is Vain, pretentious and rude. He easily becomes aggressive if his ego is dented by another person and will retaliate with violence. His weapon of choice is his sword-which he uses with great precision.

Capulet – Capulet is Juliet’s father and is the head of the of the Capulet family. He loves Juliet but does not know much about her inner thoughts or aspirations. He hopes Juliet will one day marry Paris. He likes being respected and dislikes inappropriate behaviour. His reason for feuding with the Montague’s is unknown.

Lady Capulet – Lady Capulet is Juliet’s mother. She married Lord Capulet and gave birth to Juliet at a very young age.  She too hopes that Juliet will marry Paris. She is not a strong mother figure and relies on The Nurse to raise Juliet and to assist her with matters of state.

Montague – Montague is Romeo’s father and head of the Montague family. He hates the Capulet’s. At the plays start, he is worried about the sad and emotionally withdrawn Romeo.

Lady Montague –Lord Capulet’s wife who dies of grief precluding Romeo’s banishment fromVerona.

Paris – Paris is Juliet’s suitor. After Capulet promised him Juliet’s hand he becomes overconfident and assumes they will marry.

Benvolio – Benvolio is both Romeo’s cousin and friend. He tries to be the peace keeper of the play despite the accusation that he is bad tempered in private. He hopes to distract Romeo’s attention from Rosaline before and after Romeo falls in love with Juliet.

Prince Escalus –Prince Escalus is Prince of Verona. Friend to Mercutio and Paris. He has political control in Verona and aims to keep it as peaceful as possible.

Friar John – Friar John, on Friar Lawrence’s behalf, takings news of Juliet’s faked death to Romeo. Alas Friar John is held up so the message does not reach Romeo in time.

Balthasar – Balthasar is Romeo’s servant, he tells Romeo of Juliet’s death unbeknown that it is a faked death.

Sampson & Gregory – Sampson and Gregory are Capulet’s servants. They initiate a fight between Montague’s men.

Abram – Abram is Montague’s servant, he fights Sampson and Gregory.

The Apothecary – Apothecary is a pharmacist. He sells Romeo the fatal poison which challenges his characters moral values.

Peter – Peter is Capulet’s illiterate servant in charge of inviting guests to Capulet’s feast. He introduces The Nurse to Romeo.

Rosaline – Rosaline is the woman who Romeo loves at the beginning of the play before meeting Juliet. She never appears onstage but is described as being chaste and beautiful which would have been virtuous qualities for a woman in Shakespearean times.

The Chorus - The Chorus narrates the play’s commentary similar to the style of a Greek drama

Be sure check out our GCSE Shakespeare learning songs.

Be sure check out our GCSE English Literature learning song, Blood Brothers by Willy Russell “Careful Mrs. Johnstone”

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