Romeo and Juliet Study Guide Questions
Act I, Scene I & II
1. What is meant by “star-cross’d”
2. What will end the family feud?
3. What is meant by “carry coals”?
4. To which house do Sampson & Gregory belong?
5. Describe Sampson and Gregory’s conversation. What are they talking about?
6. When Gregory wants to fight, how does Sampson reply?
7. What is the significance of biting your thumb?
8. Who comes to make peace?
9. Who is Tybalt and why does he say, “have at thee, coward” to Benvolio?
10. How do the citizens feel about both houses?
11. How do Lady Capulet & Lady Montegue behave?
12. What is the Prince’s threat?
13. Who was Romeo fighting?
14. What kind of mood is Romeo in?
15. What time is it when Benvolio finds Romeo?
16. What figure of speech does Romeo keep using over and over? Why?
17. What caused Romeo’s mood?
18. What is Benvolio’s advice?
Act I, Scene III
1. What is the Nurse’s relationship to Juliet?
2. Why does the Nurse come back into the room?
3. What does Lady Capulet talk to Juliet about?
4. What does the Nurse mean when she says, “women grow by men”?
5. What does Juliet agree to do?
6. Where do Lady Capulet and the Nurse go?
Act I, Scene IV & V
1. What doesn’t Romeo want to do?
2. Define “Sole” and “Soul.”
3. Prick love for pricking refers to…
4. What does Romeo say that leads us to believe this night will go badly?
5. Who is Queen Mab and what does she do?
6. According to Romeo, what is Mercutio talking about?
7. Romeo makes another prediction about the future. What is it?
8. Who does Romeo see? What is his reaction?
9. Who does Tybalt see? What is his reaction?
10. How does Lord Capulet feel about Romeo?
11. What does Romeo compare his lips to?
12. What does he compare Juliet’s body to?
13. How does Juliet react?
14. How does Romeo kiss?
15. What does Romeo learn too late?
16. Who knows how Juliet is feeling?
Act II, Scene I & II
1. Who calls out for Romeo?
2. How does Mercutio conjure? Why wouldn’t this technique work?
3. How does Benvolio give up?
4. What metaphor does Romeo use for Juliet?
5. What does Romeo wish that he could become?
6. What does Juliet mean when she says, “Deny thy father and refuse thy name.”?
7. According to Juliet’s logic what would happen to a skunk if people decided to call it something else?
8. Where is Romeo and how did he get there?
9. According to Juliet, what are kinsmen and what will they do?
10. What does Romeo first swear his love by?
11. What does Juliet ask him to swear by?
12. What metaphor does Juliet use to describe their love?
13. Why is Juliet not playing all innocent, shy, hard-to-get?
14. What “satisfaction” does Romeo want and does Juliet give it?
15. If Romeo’s intentions are honorable what will he do tomorrow?
16. What oxymoron does Juliet use to describe Romeo’s departure?
Act II, Scene III
1. What is the Friar’s passion (other than religion)?
2. What does the Friar figure out?
3. What request does Romeo make?
4. Who was Romeo feasting with?
5. According to the Friar where do young men’s love truly lie?
6. What is “salt water thrown away in waste”?
7. What does the Friar agree to do?
8. Why does the Friar agree?
9. What is the Friar’s advice? Put it in your own words.
Act II, Scene IV
1. What does Mercutio call Tybalt?
2. What has Tybalt done? Why?
3. Why are Romeo’s friends teasing him?
4. According to Mercutio, what is better than “groaning for love”?
5. What message does Romeo give the Nurse?
6. How does the Nurse say that she teases Juliet?
7. How does Romeo feel towards the Nurse?
Act II, Scene V
1. How long has the Nurse been gone?
2. What kind of mood is Juliet in?
3. What does the Nurse think of Romeo?
4. What excuses does the Nurse give for not wanting to talk now?
5. How does Juliet react to the news?
6. What does the Nurse have to go do?
7. What excuse will Juliet use to get out of the house to go meet Romeo?
Act III, Scene I
1. What does Benvolio want? Why
2. Mercutio teases Benvolio and says that Benvolio would fight over lots of stupid stuff. Name 4 of the things Benvolio would quarrel over.
3. Who shows up?
4. Who starts a fight? How?
5. What does ‘Zounds mean?
6. What does Benvolio try to do?
7. When Romeo shows up, what does Tybalt call him and how does Romeo respond?
8. Who antagonizes Tybalt?
9. How is Tybalt a dirty cheater?
10. What foreshadowing curse does Mercutio keep saying as he lay dying?
11. What does Romeo blame Juliet for?
12. When Tybalt shows back up, he and Romeo fight. Afterwards, what is Benvolio afraid of?
13. Who tells the Prince what happened and does s/he tell it honestly?
14. What does the Prince decided?
Act III, Scene II
1. What is Juliet anxious about? What does she mean when she says that she is “sold, not yet enjoyed”?
2. Juliet says that if Romeo were to die she would—symbolically—do what?
3. What is Juliet’s dilemma why does she use so many Oxymorons?
4. According to Juliet, the word banished equals…
5. What is maidenhead and who will take it now that Romeo is banished?
6. Where is Romeo hiding out and who goes to fetch him and bring him to Juliet?
Act III, Scene III
1. How is Romeo “wedded to calamity”?
2. How does Romeo feel about being banished? Why?
3. How does the Friar respond? Why
4. What is so great about Verona?
5. Why won’t Romeo listen to the Friar?
6. What is Romeo getting drunk on?
7. What does Romeo threaten to do? Why?
8. The Friar asks if Romeo is a man, a ______, or a ______?
9. How does the Friar say that Romeo is lucky?
10. Where must Romeo go come dawn? When may he return?
11. What does the Nurse give Romeo?
12. Define “Sojourn.”
Act III, Scene IV & V
1. What day is it?
2. What does Lord Capulet decided?
3. What does Lord Capulet tell his wife to do?
4. Why is Juliet talking about Nightingales and Larks?
5. How does Romeo use Reverse Psychology on Juliet?
6. What foreshadowing vision does Juliet have of Romeo as he is departing?
7. What adjective does Juliet use to describe Fortune? What does it mean?
8. Juliet’s mother tries to make Juliet feel better by promising to ______.
9. When Lady Capulet tells Juliet the “Good News,” what does Juliet say?
10. How does her father, Lord Capulet, react?
11. Why can Lord Capulet tell Juliet what to do?
12. What is the Nurse’s advice?
13. How does Juliet react?
Act IV, Scene I & II
1. Who is talking when Juliet enters?
2. When are Juliet and Paris getting married? Why?
3. How does Juliet treat Paris?
4. What threat does Juliet make?
5. What does the Friar give to Juliet, how long will it work, how does this present go along with her threat?
6. How will Romeo know what is going on?
7. What does Juliet say to her father? Is she being sincere?
8. Why does Juliet help picking out “ornaments” for tomorrow?
9. Her father misunderstands her. What does he think Juliet is talking about? As a result, what does he decide to do?
Act IV, Scene III, IV, & V
1. Where does the Nurse go?
2. How is Juliet feeling?
3. What two things is she afraid of?
4. What is a Mandrake?
5. What is going on in Scene IV?
6. Whenever the Nurse is upset she asks for “aqua-vitae.” What is this substance?
7. According to Lord Capulet, who “deflowered” his daughter? Who is now his heir and son-in-law?
8. Define “Lamentable.”
9. Define “Beguile.”
10. Define “Solemnity.”
11. How is everyone feeling? Why?
Act V, Scene I & II
1. What are Romeo’s dreams trying to tell him?
2. Who brings Romeo the bad news about Juliet?
3. Who/ what does Romeo defy? What does this mean?
4. Define “Apothecary.” Why does Romeo plan to visit one?
5. How much money does he give the Apothecary?
6. Romeo does not see the poison as being bad. In fact he calls it a ______. Which means…
7. What happened to Friar Lawrence’s letter to Romeo?
8. When is Juliet going to wake up?
9. What is Friar Lawrence’s new plan?
Act V, Scene III
1. Who is at Juliet’s tomb as Romeo approaches? Why?
2. Who refuses to leave? Why?
3. What does Romeo notice? Why does this make the story even more tragic?
4. Many references are made to stars throughout the play. Stars were said to guide boats as they sailed the oceans. This being the case, what does the following quote mean? “And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars….come unsavory guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark.”
5. When Juliet wakes up, Friar Lawrence says that a greater power has thwarted our plans and that she should go where?
6. In the end, what happens to the Montagues and the Capulets?
7. What do they each promise to do?