'Romeo & Juliet' | Characters | 60second Recap®

There's Romeo. There's Juliet. There are oddball characters with funny-sounding names. But that's only half the story. "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare tells the story of two feuding clans, the Montagues and the Capulets, brought together in fresh conflict by two naïve lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Here's the Recap on how all the names line up.

[caseyjz]

@BillShakespeareProj Benvolio actually IS a Montague - he is Romeo's cousin. I find it interesting that Mercutio and Paris are both related to the Prince - it brings symmetry to the play, because each family lost two members.

[BillShakespeareProj]

@60SECONDRECAPcom While the prologue states "two households, " what most people don't realize is that there are THREE families in the play.

Montague: Romeo's family (yes, Mercutio is aligned with Romeo... and Benvolio may be a cousin of Romeo's--though we cannot be certain).

Capulet: Juliet's family, including Tybalt

The Prince's family, including the Prince, Mercutio, and Paris.

Each loses two members apiece ("a brace of kinsmen")... it's symmetrical... all are punished.

[BillShakespeareProj]

@skipperdoodification point taken, and I defer to your point on Benvolio being Montague's nephew (though Hamlet's cousin?)... as for reading the play, I have, as my commentary on the third family attests. And I apologize for the "uh"... sorry you took such offense to it.

[BillShakespeareProj]

uh, Benvolio and Mercutio are NOT Montagues...