A servant to the Montagues. Provoked by Gregory and Samson, Abraham is involved in a brawl.
ANGELICA
Capulet urges her to help prepare food for the planned wedding of Juliet and Paris. Angelica may be the first name of Lady Capulet or of the Nurse.
ANSELME
A "ghost character" who, along with his sisters, is invited to the Capulet feast.
ANSELME'S SISTERS
They are "ghost characters" who, along with Ansleme, are invited to the Capulet feast.
ANTHONY
A servingman in the Capulet household.
APOTHECARY
A poor apothecary of Mantua. Although it is illegal to sell deadly poisons in Mantua, the apothecary, motivated by his poverty, sells such poison to Romeo.
BALTHASAR
A servant to Romeo. Along with Abraham, he is baited into brawling with Gregory and Samson. Later, Balthasar, unaware that the Friar has merely made Juliet appear to be dead, tells Romeo the news that Juliet is dead indeed, spurring Romeo to buy poison and kill himself.
BENVOLIO
A friend and kinsman of Romeo. He attempts to stop the brawl between Gregory, Samson, Abraham, and Balthasar. On his advice, Romeo attends the Capulet feast where he falls in love with Juliet. Benvolio repeatedly urges others to avoid violence to no avail.
CAPULET
A nobleman of Verona and father of Juliet. Capulet has long been an enemy of Montague. Early on, Capulet seems inclined to peace, assuring Paris that there will be no further disputes between himself and Montague and forbidding Tybalt to confront Romeo during the feast at his house. Later, however, following the death of Tybalt and Juliet's refusal to wed Paris, an enraged Capulet denounces and curses Juliet, driving her to desperate measures. Following the death of Romeo and Juliet, Capulet pledges to have a rich statue of Romeo built in his memory.
CAPULET'S COUSIN
A guest at the Capulet feast. He and Capulet discuss the last masque they attended some thirty years earlier.
CAPULET, LADY
Wife of Capulet and mother of Juliet. She favors the match between Juliet and Paris.
CAPULET'S UNCLE
A "ghost character" who, along with his wife and daughters, is invited to the Capulet feast.
CHORUS
Introduces the play with a prologue that outlines the plot. Reappears to comment on the action of the first act.
CHIEF WATCHMAN
Watchman who first arrives to investigate the deaths at the Capulet tomb.
CITIZENS OF THE WATCH
Citizens of Verona who attempt to keep the peace. They help stop the brawl between the Capulets and the Montagues at the beginning of the play and investigate the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio,
ESCALUS
Prince of Verona. Angered by recurring violence in his city, the Prince declares a death penalty for further brawling. When Romeo slays Tybalt, the Prince, considering Tybalt's role as the aggressor (and possibly because Tybalt had just slain the Prince's kinsman, Mercutio), orders Romeo exiled rather than executed. Following the deaths of Romeo, Juliet, and Paris, Escalus vows to determine the guilt and innocence of the parties involved.
FRIAR JOHN
Sent to inform Romeo of the plan to make Juliet appear dead, Friar John is detained in a plague house and is unable to deliver the crucial message.
FRIAR LAURENCE
A priest in Verona. Friend, confidant and advisor to Romeo and Juliet. Hoping it may ease the feud between the Capulets and Montagues, Laurence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet in secret. When Romeo is banished, Laurence draws on his knowledge of medicines and poisons to provide Juliet with a draught to make her appear dead. When he learns that Romeo has not been informed of the plan, he rushes to Juliet's tomb in the hope of preventing disaster, but arrives too late. Romeo and Paris are already dead, and fearing repercussions, Laurence flees, begging the reawakened Juliet to follow. When he is captured and brought back, he finds Juliet dead as well. He is questioned by the Prince, and may be the subject of further inquiry and punishment when the play ends.
GREGORY
A servant to the Capulets. He provokes Abraham and Balthasar into a brawl.
HELENA
A "ghost character" who is invited to the Capulet feast. She is described as "lively."
HUGH REBEC
A musician hired to play at Juliet's wedding to Paris.
JULIET
The daughter of Capulet. Having fallen in love with Romeo, she secretly marries him. Following Romeo's banishment, and seemingly unable to prevent being married to Paris, Juliet seeks the help of Friar Laurence. Despite serious misgivings, she drinks a potion he gives her designed to make her appear dead—all in the hope of fleeing Verona and being reunited with her husband. When she awakes in her tomb, though, she finds Romeo there dead, and, abandoned by the Friar, kills herself with Romeo's dagger.
LIVIA
A "ghost character" who is invited to the Capulet feast.
LUCIO
A "ghost character" who is invited to the Capulet feast.
MARTINO
A "ghost character" who, along with his wife and daughters, is invited to the Capulet feast.
MERCUTIO
A friend of Romeo and kinsmen to the Prince and to Paris. When Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, Mercutio challenges Tybalt in his place and is slain when Romeo intervenes. Mercutio dies cursing both the Capulets and the Montagues. His death shames and enrages Romeo who quickly avenges the death of his friend by killing Tybalt.
MATHEW MINIKIN
A musician hired to play at Juliet's wedding to Paris. He quarrels with Peter.
MONTAGUE
A nobleman of Verona and father of Romeo. Montague has long been an enemy to Capulet. Following the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, Montague promises to have a gold statue of Juliet built in her memory.
MONTAGUE, LADY
Wife of Montague. She dies from grief when her son Romeo is exiled.
NELL
A "ghost character" mentioned by Peter as one to be let into the Capulet house.
NURSE
Friend and confidant to Juliet. Initially the Nurse assists Juliet by helping to arrange her marriage to Romeo and by keeping her marriage secret. Later, though, following the banishment of Romeo, the Nurse callously encourages Juliet to forget Romeo and marry Paris.
PAGE TO MERCUTIO
A non-speaking part. Mercutio, mortally wounded by Tybalt, sends his page to fetch a surgeon.
PAGE TO PARIS
The page attends Paris at the Capulet tomb.
PARIS
A noble suitor to Juliet and kinsmen to Mercutio and the Prince. Paris hopes to marry Juliet despite her youth, and following the death of Tybalt, is promised Juliet by Capulet. When Juliet appears to be dead, Paris mourns for her at her tomb, and discovering Romeo there challenges him to a duel. Paris is slain in the ensuing combat.
PETER
A servant to the Capulets who often acts as a messenger. Needing assistance to read the guest list for the Capulet feast, Peter unwittingly informs Romeo and Benvolio of the event and of the fact that Romeo's beloved Rosaline will be attending. Peter sometimes comes into conflict with other servants. [n.b. Peter was played by the comedian Will Kempe. His name is interposed for Peter's in some of the Second Quarto's stage directions.]
PETRUCCIO
A guest at the Capulet feast and friend to Tybalt.
PLACENTIO
A "ghost character" who, along with his nieces, is invited to the Capulet feast.
POTPAN
A servingman in the Capulet household.
QUEEN MAB
A fictional character invented by Mercutio to illustrate the fruitlessness of dreams. Queen Mab is a minuscule fairy who inspires dreams appropriate to the dreamer.
ROMEO
The son of Montague. Initially doting on Rosaline, Romeo falls in love with Juliet at the Capulet feast. Though she is of the house of Capulet, the enemy of the Montagues, Romeo secretly marries her. When Romeo slays Tybalt to avenge the death of Mercutio, he is banished from Verona. In Mantua, Romeo hears the false report that Juliet has died, but not having received Friar Laurence's message via Friar John that would have explained that Juliet has merely been made to appear dead, he immediately resolves to kill himself. He buys poison from a poor apothecary and returns to Verona. Romeo reluctantly slays Paris in a duel at Juliet's tomb and kills himself by drinking the poison, never realizing that Juliet is, in fact, alive.
ROSALINE
A "ghost character," the niece of Capulet and, initially, loved by Romeo. She is invited to the Capulet feast, which prompts Romeo to want to attend as well.
SAMSON
A servant to the Capulets. Together with Gregory, Samson provokes a brawl with the Montagues.
SECOND WATCHMAN
One of the watchmen who investigates the deaths at the Capulet tomb.
SIMON SOUNDPOST
A musician hired to play at Juliet's wedding to Paris.
SUSAN
A "ghost character" mentioned by the Nurse and apparently the Nurse's daughter who died as a young child. She and Juliet were the same age, and this probably explains that the Nurse was originally Juliet's wet nurse.
SUSAN GRINDSTONE
A "ghost character" mentioned by Peter as one to be let into the Capulet house.
THIRD WATCHMAN
A watchman who investigates the deaths at the Capulet monument.
TIBERIO'S SON
A non-speaking part. A guest at the Capulet feast.
TYBALT
A young man of Verona and nephew to Capulet. Tybalt's hatred for the Montagues is extreme; when he recognizes Romeo at the Capulet feast, he tries to challenge him but is restrained by his uncle. Nevertheless he seeks out Romeo the next day and confronts him. Tybalt slays Mercutio and is then slain by Romeo. Tybalt's death leads the Prince to banish Romeo from Verona.
VALENTINE
A "ghost character," the brother of Mercutio, and one of the guests invited to the Capulet feast. Valentine could plausibly be one of the masquers who attend the party with Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio.
VALENTIO
A "ghost character," Tybalt's cousin, who is invited to the Capulet feast.
VITRUVIO'S WIDOW
A "ghost character" who is invited to the Capulet feast.