OLD MONTAGUE and LADY MONTAGUE
They are Romeo's parents, but they don't have a big part in the action of the play. Therefore you don't get to know much about them. They love their son, which you can see when Lady Montague dies because of grief when she hears about his banishment. They also know his friends. In the first scene they ask Benvolio to find out why Romeo is so sad.
OLD CAPULET and LADY CAPULET
They are Juliet's parents and more important than Romeo's. Old Capulet loves his daughter and tries to find a good husband for her. At the beginning of the play he even thinks that she should love the man she marries, but when Tybalt dies he changes his mind and wants to get her married quickly. He also is very authoritarian. He gets very annoyed when Juliet refuses to marry Paris and is able to beat her and to throw her out of the house. The relationship between him and his wife is pretty cold. He doesn't say much to her exept to order her around. She responds by making bitter remarks about him. In spite of this she still puts his will before her daughter's. She is a bitter and unhappy woman who married very early. She protects Juliet from her father's fury - maybe because she remembers her own tears before her wedding(??) - even though she doesn't know how to relate to Juliet who has a better relationship to her nurse than to her own mother. That she loves her becomes obvious when you have a closer look at her reaction when Juliet seems to be dead.
THE COUNTY PARIS
He is a wealthy and handsome young man. Old Capulet chose him to marry his daughter. His family is a step above Romeo's. Unlike Romeo he goes through the proper channels to get Juliet to marry him. He formally asks Juliet's father for her hand. He never gets to know that he has a rival. As an honourable young man he would never have gone after Juliet if he had known she were married. Paris, like Romeo and Juliet, is a victim of a "sour misfortune". He, too, is given a place of respect and importance in the tomb with Romeo and Juliet.
FRIAR LAURENCE AND THE NURSE
He's Catholic, a friar of the Order of Saint Francis. He has got good advices for everybody and is very helpful. Even though he lives in a monastry he speaks understandingly of life in his first monologue. He gives Romeo wise counsels. He is the one who creates the clever plan for the two lovers that leads to the final tragedy.
NURSE
The nurse is like a mother for Juliet. She loves to talk and cares a lot for Juliet. She is an understanding old woman, but not very educated. The nurse is the only person Juliet trusts.
ROMEO
Romeo is the only son of the Montagues. He is a very emotional and romantic young man. He cares a lot about his friends especially about Juliet. He is able to devote himself completely to his love for her. He is a typical young-blood who dares a lot and who can be extremely happy or deeply sad.
JULIET
Juliet is the only daughter of the Capulets. She is young and very beautiful. She thinks in more practical ways than Romeo, for example when she asks him whether he wants to marry her. Throughout the play Juliet changes from a girl into a young woman who must make her own decisions for the first time and take responsibility for them.
TYBALT
He is Juliet's cousin and therefore a Capulet. He is very aggressive and rude. During the play he fights Benvolio, Capulet, Mercutio and Romeo. You can say that he is also a very brutal and incalculable person because he kills Mercutio.
MERCUTIO
He is Romeo's best friend. He is a witty, cultured and educated young man. He is the opposite of Tybalt, therefore the two hate each other so much. Mercutio can be very sarcastic and always wants to be in the center of attention. You can see this especially in his "Queen Map- speech".
PRINCE ESCALUS
He is the prince of Verona and tries to stop the feud. He is interested in justice and peace, therefore he banishes Romeo. At the end he doesn't want Romeo and Juliet to die, so that you can say that he is also a very sympathetic man.
The pictures are taken from http://tqd.advanced.org/2888/.
