ROMEO AND JULIETAct I

Act I Prologue (page 5)1. What does the prologue tell us is going to

happen in the play? The play takes place in Verona. Two families are fighting. Two people in love take their life.

Act I Prologue (page 5)2. What does the term “star-crossed lovers”

mean? People whose relationship is bound to fail

from the start.

Act I Scene i (page 5)1. For whom do Sampson and Gregory

work? Who do they dislike? They work for the Capulet family. They dislike the Montagues.

Act I Scene i (page 5)2. Why does Sampson bite his thumb at the

Montagues? He wants to insult them.

Act I Scene i (page 5)3. How does Benvolio act during the brawl?

How does Tybalt act during the brawl? What does this say about their characters?

Benvolio tries to make peace. Tybalt wants to fight. Tybalt is quick to anger and always wants

to take down his enemies. Benvolio sees the importance of not fighting.

Act I Scene i (page 5)4. What role does masculine (male) honor

play in the fight between the Capulets and Montagues?

It is considered not manly if men don’t fight when challenged to it. It makes someone less manly if they don’t fight.

Act I Scene i (page 6)5. What does Prince Escalus say will happen

if the families do not have peace? Their “ lives shall pay the forfeit of the

peace.” This means they will be killed if they keep fighting in public.

Act I Scene i (page 6)6. How has Romeo been acting, according

to his parents? He has been acting strangely. He cries.

He shuts his windows and makes his room dark. He seems sad.

Act I Scene i (page 6)7. What does Benvolio promise Lady

Montague he will do? He will talk with Romeo and see why he’s

acting strangely.

Act I Scene i (page 6)8. Why is Romeo sad? He is in love with Rosaline, but she

doesn’t love him back.

ROMEO AND JULIETAct I s ii

Act I Scene ii (page 7)1. What does Paris want? What is Lord

Capulet’s response? Paris wants to marry Juliet. Lord Capulet is worried that Juliet is too

young, so he wants Paris to court her slowly.

Act I Scene ii (page 7)2. What does Lord Capulet plan to do that

evening? He plans to host a masked ball and feast.

Act I Scene ii (page 7)3. What does the servant have Romeo

read? The servant has Romeo read the

invitation to the feast and all those who are invited.

Act I Scene ii (page 7)4. Why does Benvolio want to go to the

party? Why does Romeo want to go to the party?

Benvolio wants Romeo to see that there are other beautiful women besides Rosaline.

Romeo wants to go because Rosaline is on the invite list.

Act I Scene ii (page 7)5. What does the servant not know about

Benvolio and Romeo? He does not know that they belong to the

house of Montague.

ROMEO AND JULIETAct I s iii

Act I Scene iii (page 8)1. What does Lady Capulet tell Juliet? What

is Juliet’s reaction to the idea of marriage?

Lady Capulet tells Juliet that Paris wants to marry her.

Juliet said she does not wish to be married.

Act I Scene iii (page 8)2. What does Juliet mean by the line: “I’ll

look to like, if looking liking move / But no more deep will I endart mine eye / Than your consent gives strength to make it fly” ?

Juliet means that she will look at Paris at the ball and decide if she likes him or not. She will not immediately agree to the idea of marriage.

ROMEO AND JULIETAct I s iv

Act I Scene iv (page 8)1. What does Romeo mean by the lines that

begin with: “I fear, too early: for my mind misgives… “

Romeo means that he is afraid that fate will make something bad happen to him, even as fate is the reason he is going to the ball.

2. What is this an example of? Foreshadowing.

Act I Scene iv (page 9)2. What is the point of Mercutio’s speech?

What is he trying to say about dreams and society?

Mercutio makes his speech because he wants Romeo to stop thinking about Rosaline and go to the feast. Queen Mab (a fairy) brings dreams to humans and those dreams represent some aspect of their personalities. But then he says that dreams are destructive because they make people believe things about the world that are not true.

ROMEO AND JULIETAct I s v

Act I Scene v (page 9)1. Who is Romeo talking about when he

says: “Did my heart love till now?” Juliet.

Act I Scene v (page 9)2. What does Tybalt realize when he hears

Romeo speak? What does he want to do? Tybalt realizes that the speaker behind

the mask is Romeo, a member of the enemy family.

He wants to fight Romeo and kill him.

Act I Scene v (page 9)3. What is Lord Capulet’s response to

Tybalt? Lord Capulet says that Romeo is rumored

to be a good guy and that Tybalt should just ignore him at the ball.

Act I Scene v (page 9)4. How does Romeo learn Juliet is a

Capulet? The Nurse tells him.

Act I Scene v (page 10)5. How does Juliet learn Romeo’s identity?

What is her reaction upon learning this? Juliet asks the Nurse for the identities of

many men there so the Nurse is not suspicious. She then asks Romeo’s identity and the Nurse tells her.

She is shocked.

Act I Scene v (page 10)6. Explain this quote from Juliet: “My only

love sprung from my only hate…” ? She thinks it is unfair that the fates have

led her to love a man who is a sworn enemy of her family.

Act I Scene v (page 10)7. What is unique about the lines Romeo

and Juliet speak to each other? How are they a metaphor?

When put together, their lines form a sonnet, a 14-line poem with a rhyming couplet at the end.

Their words are a metaphor because they compare love to religious terms. Touching hands = sin, Romeo = pilgrim on a journey for love, kiss = purging sin