Any of my readers good old English majors or part of an English Literature class?  🙂 

I’m teaching “Shakespearean Acting” this semester to a group of students participating in an English speaking competition, and they are required to be familiar with several of William Shakespeare’s plays. Including the timeless classic Romeo and Juliet. 

Part of our class is a very detailed, in-depth quiz on each of the stories, and I thought I would share them here for High School or College Students. You can use this to quiz your knowledge before an exam! 😛 

Please note, I am not really asking about his writing style, quotes, or themes. This is just a quiz on the facts of what actually happens in the story.  Be aware that questions range in level of difficulty 🙂 If you have other questions to add, please put them in Comments below! 

Fact Questions

1. Where is Romeo and Juliet set? (city and country)
2. In the introduction, the chorus tells us that there are two families fighting in the city. What are their names?
3. Which Family does Juliet belong to?
4. Which Family does Romeo belong to?
5. The two families have been fighting for years and years. Why are they fighting?
6. What does “star-crossed” mean?
7. When the story opens, the Prince of Verona, Prince Escalus, is extremely angry with the two families. They have been fighting for years, so why is he particularly angry at them now?
8. What event sparks the big battle between the two families in the beginning scenes?
9. Who are Gregory and Sampson?
10. Benvolio initially tries to stop the fight between the two families. But eventually he joins in. Why does he change and start fighting?
11. The Prince arrives and gives a harsh warning about the punishment if the two families continue fighting. What is his warning?
12. Romeo did not come to the fight at the beginning. Where was he?
13. His parents are worried about Romeo. What is he doing that has them concerned? Be specific
14. His parents ask someone to go find Romeo and interrogate him as to the reasons for his melancholy. Who is this friend and what is their relationship to Romeo?
15. Romeo tells us why he is so melancholy at the beginning. What reason does he give and who is the cause?
16. What is Benvolio’s response to Romeo’s feelings for Rosalind? Does he support the match?
17. We move scenes now to Juliet’s home, where someone is asked her father for Juliet’s hand in marriage. Who wants to marry Juliet?
18. Her father does not want to approve the marriage. What is his problem? How old is Juliet?
19. Her  father finally gives permission, but it comes with two conditions. What are they?
20. Lady Capulet and the Nurse go to tell Juliet about her engagement. How does Juliet respond? 
21. The Nurse here tells an old story about Juliet as a little girl. What is that story?
22. The Capulet’s are hosting an engagement party via a masquerade ball. How do Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio learn about the party?
23. Who is Mercutio. Is he related to Romeo?
24. That night, the three men are sneaking their way into the party. Why is Mercutio going? Why is Benvolio going? Why is Romeo going?
25. Mercutio is the cynic of the story. What is his opinion about Romeo’s “true love” for Rosalind? What is his opinion of love and women in general?
26. Who is Tybalt? How is he kin to Juliet?
27. When they sneak into the party, Tybalt recognizes Romeo despite his mask. Tybalt wants to throw Romeo out, but someone stops him. Who and what 2 reasons do they give?
28. How does Tybalt respond?
29. Why is this moment in the story important?
30. How do Romeo and Juliet actually meet?
31. What is so surprising about their first meeting with one another?
32. While watching her, Romeo says he wished he were something Juliet is wearing. What is it?
33. Does Romeo  talk to Rosalind at the party?
34. After the party, Romeo sneaks away from his friends and hides in Juliet’s home because he is “too in love to leave.” Where does he go?
35. Romeo sees Juliet and hides while listening to her talk to herself about how she wishes things would go. What is Juliet wanting?
36. Romeo comes out of hiding to confess his love to Juliet. Why?
37. Romeo and Juliet makes some exciting plans for the next day. What do they plan to do?
38. The Friar is not initially excited about Romeo’s feelings for Juliet. Why does not not believe their love is real?
39. Romeo asks the Friar to marry them. Why does the Friar agree?
40. Romeo meets up with Juliet’s Nurse to tell her what he needs Juliet to do. The Nurse flatters him by comparing the what flower that Juliet speaks of so often?
41. Juliet creates a fake excuse for going to the church and then secretly marries Romeo. What is her excuse?
42. Who knows about the wedding besides Romeo and Juliet?
43. We move to Mercutio and Benvolio out walking. Mercutio is laughing at Benvolio, who he says is a walking contradiction. What does he say is so funny about Benvolio?
44. Why are Mercutio and Benvolio annoyed at Romeo?
45. Benvolio brings bad news about Tybalt that he shares with Mercutio. What has Tybalt done?
46. Romeo comes but refuses to fight with Tybalt. Why?
47. Mercutio is furious at Romeo’s sudden “friendliness” to Tybalt. It’s more than just a feeling of betrayed friends. What is the problem? To understand this answer, you need to have some background into the cultural history. 
48. Be specific. Exactly what happens when Mercutio dies?
49. How does Romeo respond when Mercutio dies? What does he do?
50. The Prince arrives, and learns about this new fight. Earlier he named the punishment for anyone fighting in his town. But now, for Romeo, he changes his mind. Why does the Prince change his punishment?
51. What exactly is Romeo’s Punishment? 
52. How does Romeo respond to his Punishment?
53. How does Juliet respond initially when she hears the news about Tybalt?
54. An important moment in the story, Juliet and her Nurse have a fight here. What is the fight about?
55. Friar Laurence has a plan to help Romeo out of trouble after Tybalt and Mercutio die. What does he tell Romeo to do?
56. The night after they are married, Romeo sneaks into Juliet’s room to see her before he leaves town. How does he get in to her room?
57. Juliet’s parents and her fiancee decide to move the wedding closer. How much time is there until the wedding now?
58. Are Juliet’s mother and nurse excited or sad about the wedding?
59. How does Juliet respond? 
60. After Romeo is banished and her marriage is moved up, Juliet sneaks out to seek Friar Laurence’s advice. What excuse does she give her parents for why she goes to the church?
61. When Juliet goes to meet Friar Laurence for advice, she runs into someone else in the church. Who does she meet and what do they say to one another?
62. What is Friar Laurence’s Plan? What exactly is supposed to happen?
63. Who finds Juliet’s body the next morning?
64. The day Juliet dies was a special day for her. What big event was supposed to happen?
65. After she meets Friar Laurence and gets the sleeping potion, Juliet goes home. What does she tell her parents she would do now?
66. Why do her parents think Juliet died and who do they blame?
67. In Act 5, Romeo is banished but we learn he has been having a bad dream recently. He is concerned. What happens in his dream?
68. Why did Friar John fail in delivering the letter to Romeo telling him Juliet was still alive?
69. Friar John was supposed to tell Romeo that Juliet was alive, but he fails. Instead someone else comes to Romeo and tells him Juliet is dead. Who tells Romeo that Juliet is dead?
70. Romeo buys some illegal poison. Where did he get it and why did they sell it to him?
71. When Romeo goes to visit the tomb, someone else is already there. Who was it?
72. This visit thinks Romeo has come to the tomb for dastardly reasons. What does he/she think Romeo plans to do at Juliet’s tomb?
73. In the end, what happens to Count Paris? 
74. How does Romeo die?
75.  Who is alive and present when Juliet wakes up from her sleep of the dead?
76. How exactly does Juliet die?
77. In the end, who is left to tell the prince about what happened?
78. When he arrives, Lord Montague says something terrible has happened to Romeo’s mother. What is it?
79. How are the parents going to honor their children’s deaths?
80. At the end, the Prince says everyone has been punished. How was He Punished?

Tags: Art, Literature, Love Story, Romeo, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, Study Guide, William Shakespeare