Romeo and Juliet: Key Questions to Consider

1. What is the reason for the Capulet/Montague feud?

2. What affect does the accelerated timeline of the play have?

3. Do you think Romeo and Juliet’s relationship could have lasted long term if given the chance?

4. Was Romeo bound by loyalty to avenge Mercutio’s death? Given the culture in Verona, did Romeo

have a choice?
5. Is Mercutio’s “Queen Mab” speech a monologue, an aside, or a soliloquy?

6. What is a foil character?

7. Who could be considered Tybalt’s foil character in the play?

8. Despite the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence succeeds in ending the Montague/Capulet

feud. Is this an acceptable price in exchange for putting the feud to an end? (This would make both

Romeo and Juliet martyrs for this cause)

9. What aspect of Friar Laurence’s speech in Act 2, Scene 3 makes it a soliloquy?

10. Consider why you chose the character you did as the one who is most responsible for the tragic ending

of the play. What evidence from the text can you use to support your choice? How can critical thinking

help you to draw conclusions that are not explicitly stated in the text?