Minor Characters
Benvolio
Montague’s nephew and Romeo’s cousin. Benvolio is more levelheaded, calm, and also more of a rule-follower than Romeo and Mercutio. He struggles to keep the peace and obey the law in the face of his kinsmen’s hot-blooded temperaments.
Paris
A handsome count who is a kinsman of Prince Escalus. Paris is boring, pompous, and obsequious—but he is wealthy, and Capulet believes that if Juliet marries him, their family’s fortunes and social standing will advance.
Montague
Romeo’s father and the head of House Montague, which is in a long-standing feud with House Capulet. A stoic leader, Montague bitterly hates his rival, Capulet, and is insistent upon continuing the feud between them through his house’s descendants, including Romeo and his kinsman Benvolio.
Lady Montague
Montague’s wife and Romeo’s mother. She appears very little in the play, and, at the end, it is revealed that she died of grief after learning of Romeo’s exile to Mantua.
Petruchio
A friend of Tybalt who is also part of House Capulet.
Balthasar
Romeo’s servingman.
Sampson and Gregory
Two servingmen of House Capulet.
Abraham
Montague’s servant.
Peter
An illiterate servingman of House Capulet.
The Apothecary
A poor apothecary in Mantua who sells Romeo a vial of poison. Though selling poison is illegal, the apothecary is self-admittedly desperate for any money he can get his hands on.
Rosaline
Rosaline, who never appears onstage, is, at the start of the play, Romeo’s latest romantic obsession despite the fact that she has taken a vow of chastity. When Romeo meets Juliet, however, he forgets all about his unrequited love for Rosaline.