Abram:
is one of the Montague’s servants. During the play he and a companion are insulted by two of the Capulet men in a public space. He queries their actions but insists that he has no interests at all in quarrelling. He does, however, refuse to admit that Capulet is a better man than Montague, and this unwillingness provides the incentive the men need to commence a brawl.
Peter:
is a serving man of the Capulets and is the individual who accompanies the Nurse when she leaves the house. He partly serves as her protection whilst also carrying her fan. Upon Juliet’s death, he begs the musicians to play some merry music and he taunts the musicians when they refuse to do so because of the circumstances.
Rosaline:
is the gorgeous and aloof woman that Romeo pines over in the beginning of the play. Although she has no speaking role and is never seen in the play, it is clear that she does not return Romeo’s affections. Rosaline is soon forgotten about, when at the Capulet feast, he lays eyes on Juliet.
Petruchio:
is one of Tybalt’s friends. He is present at the Capulets’ party and he accompanies Tybalt when he goes and chases Romeo to begin a duel. It is Petruchio who hurries Tybalt away after Mercutio’s death at Tybalt’s hands.
The Chorus:
introduces each of the first two acts. These characters play an important role in establishing the theme and style of the play, and speak in the form of sonnets.
Paris’ Page:
accompanies his master to Juliet’s grave. Despite his fear of graveyards at night, he remains there due to his loyalty to Paris. However, he races to fetch the watch when he sees Paris engaging in hand-to-hand combat with an unknown man who the audience knows to be Romeo.
The Citizens of Verona:
comprise of the remainder of the population that are not di- rectly tied to either the Capulet or Montague families. These individuals are thoroughly fed up with the never-ending conflict and head to the streets (armed, of course!) to intimate them in the hopes that the two families will cease fighting.
The First Servingman:
is a superior servant in the Capulet household and is one of very few people who has permission to address Lady Capulet directly. He is bossy in nature and orders the other serving staff around as food is served to those in atten- dance at the feast.
The Second Servingman:
is illiterate and is the individual that Capulet chooses, de- spite his inability to read, to send out into the town to deliver invitations to the evenings feast. He asks the first educated person that he comes across to help him read the invitations and as a consequence informs Romeo and Benvolio of the feast and Rosaline’s presence at it.
Anthony:
is a servant of the Capulet family and is one of the many who are over- worked on the night of the feast. He is also utilised later in the play as he is sent out to invite guests to Juliet’s wedding.
Potpan:
is a servant of the Capulet family who is overworked on the night of the feast.
The First Musician:
is hired by the Capulet family to play for Juliet wedding. When Juliet is found dead in her chambers the musicians remain and the First Musician re- fused to play a merry song for the servant Peter; partly because of the circumstances and partly because Peter cannot pay. His preferred instrument is the flute or a plucked string instrument.
The Second Musician:
plays the Rebec. Like the first musician he will not play at Peter’s request without pay, and he convinces Peter to put his dagger away when he becomes agitated. He is also the individual who convinces the other musicians that they should stay, even though the wedding is off, to benefit from the food that has already been prepared.
The Third Musician:
is a singer and he is unsure as how to react to Peter and his request.
The First Watchman:
is brought to the Capulet monument/tomb by Paris’ Page. Upon seeing the various corpses, he sends for everyone who has been involved in this tragedy. Despite this stand, he is still unable to theorise what has occurred. He holds Balthasar and Friar Lawrence until the Prince arrives at the scene.
The Second Watchman:
arrives at the Capulet tomb with the First Watchman. He is sent to search for anyone involved that may be still lingering in the area. In his search he finds Balthazar.
The Third Watchman:
also arrives at the Capulet tomb with the First Watchman. He too is sent to find anyone who may still be lingering at the scene, and he finds Friar Lawrence as a result of his search.
Mercutio’s Page:
has a mute role in the play, however, he runs to fetch a doctor when his master is fatally wounded duelling with Tybalt.
