Study Guide for Romeo and Juliet Quiz 1

Some, but not all, of the following questions will be on your quiz:

Comprehension Questions

1. Who speaks the Prologue?
2. What is the purpose of the Prologue and what do we learn in it?
3. Where does the play take place?
4. What are the names of the two families involved in the feud?
5. Who is shown to be more of a peacemaker than a fighter in the opening of the play?
6. At the end of the street fight in 1.1, what does Escalus threaten to do if the Montagues and Capulets get into another fight?
7. How do Romeo and Benvolio learn that Rosaline will be invited to the party at the Capulet house?
8. Who is Romeo's best friend?
9. Who is Romeo's crush in the opening of the play?
10. When Tybalt spies Romeo at the ball, what does he want to do? What does he actually do and why?
11. Who is Juliet's best friend and confidante?
12. What is Tybalt's relationship to Juliet?

13. After the Nurse tells Romeo that Juliet is a Capulet, he responds:

                Is she a Capulet?/ Oh dear account! My life is my foe’s debt.

    What do these lines suggest about how Romeo feels about having fallen in love with Juliet?

14. When Paris asks Juliet's father for permission to marry, Lord Capulet responds:

           My will to her consent is just a part./And she agree, within her scope of choice/Lies my consent and fair according voice

What does this mean? What role does Juliet have in the decision, according to her father?
15. Do Romeo and Juliet kiss at the ball?

Thinking Questions

         1. How do you think that Juliet’s Nurse and Romeo’s friend Mercutio are alike? Use specific details to back up your ideas.

        2. Describe the personality of Tybalt and explain his role in the feud. Use specific lines from the text to back up your ideas.

     3. Juliet tells her mother that she will “look to love” at the ball. What does that mean? In your opinion, does that influence how she reacts to Romeo when they meet? Explain your answer.

     

     4. How does Romeo change after he meets Juliet? Show a specific example of this change.

 5. Do Romeo and Juliet really fall in love at first sight? Explain your answer and use evidence from the text to back it up.

Staging Questions

 1. In the film version of Romeo and Juliet we saw in class, what strategies does the director use to make the “love at first sight” plot believable? Was it successful? Explain your answer.

2. If you were acting the role of Juliet in the play, how would you show her youth and innocence but also make her love believable? Be specific and include information about elements such as costuming, makeup, lighting, sound, acting, voice, line delivery, body language, and relationships to other characters on the stage.

           3. If you were to stage the play, how might you depict the Montagues and Capulets to show that they are of similar class status and wealth but also make them recognizably different from each other and show the audience that they are enemies? You can talk about placement on the stage, costuming, props, body language, style of speaking or any other dramatic elements. 

      4. In the version we saw in class, what was Benvolio's objective in the opening scene? What lines and action indicated this? Did he achieve his objective? Why or why not? Be specific in your answer.