AQA GCSE English Literature · 3.1.1

Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

50 revision questions with answers for 3.1.1 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet in AQA GCSE English Literature (spec 8702). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1
When was Romeo and Juliet written, and where is it set?
Answer:
Written around 1595. It is set mainly in Verona, Italy, with some scenes in Mantua.
Question 2
What genre is Romeo and Juliet?
Answer:
A tragedy. The lovers are doomed from the Prologue onwards, and the play ends in their deaths and the reconciliation of their families.
Question 3
What does the Prologue tell the audience, and why does it matter?
Answer:
It is a sonnet that gives away the ending, calling the lovers 'star-crossed' and saying their deaths will end the feud. It makes the audience watch for fate and dramatic irony.
Question 4
What does 'star-crossed' mean?
Answer:
Ill-fated, as if the stars (fate) were against the lovers. It supports the theme of fate versus free will.
Question 5
What is the feud at the heart of the play?
Answer:
An 'ancient grudge' between the Montague and Capulet families. Its cause is never explained, which shows how pointless and destructive hatred can be.
Question 6
Who is Prince Escalus and what is his role?
Answer:
The ruler of Verona. He tries to stop the violence with threats of punishment, but his authority is too weak to end the feud until it is too late.
Question 7
How does Shakespeare introduce the feud in Act 1 Scene 1?
Answer:
A brawl breaks out between servants, spreads to the nobles, and ends when the Prince threatens death for anyone who disturbs the peace again.
Question 8
How is Romeo presented at the start of the play?
Answer:
As a lovesick young man who is melodramatic about Rosaline. His exaggerated language shows he is in love with the idea of love, which makes his sudden love for Juliet stand out.
Question 9
How is Juliet presented at the start of the play?
Answer:
As an obedient, young daughter (she is nearly fourteen) who has not thought about marriage. She quickly grows into a brave, determined and independent young woman.
Question 10
What happens when Romeo and Juliet first meet (Act 1 Scene 5)?
Answer:
They talk in a shared sonnet at the Capulet party and kiss. The religious language of 'pilgrim' and 'saint' suggests their love is pure, even as the feud makes it dangerous.
Question 11
What does Romeo mean by 'she doth teach the torches to burn bright'?
Answer:
Juliet is so beautiful that she outshines the light of the torches. The light imagery associates their love with brightness in a dark, hostile world.
Question 12
What is the significance of 'My only love sprung from my only hate'?
Answer:
Juliet realises that she loves a Montague, the family she has been taught to hate. The oxymoron-like contrast shows love and hate tied together.
Question 13
What is the famous balcony scene (Act 2 Scene 2) about?
Answer:
Juliet speaks aloud about her love and Romeo overhears. They declare their love and agree to marry, and the scene is full of light imagery and the pressure of the feud.
Question 14
What does 'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?' mean?
Answer:
'Wherefore' means 'why', not 'where'. Juliet is asking why he must be a Montague, and wishes he could give up the name that stands between them.
Question 15
What is the effect of 'Parting is such sweet sorrow'?
Answer:
The oxymoron shows how love and pain are mixed. It also anticipates the many partings that will come and the final separation in death.
Question 16
Who is Friar Laurence and why does he marry the lovers?
Answer:
A Franciscan friar who is Romeo's confessor. He hopes the marriage will end the feud, but his secret plans and hurried actions contribute to the tragedy.
Question 17
How does Friar Laurence warn Romeo about haste?
Answer:
He says 'Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.' The advice is ironic because the lovers and the Friar all act too quickly.
Question 18
What is the Nurse's role?
Answer:
She is Juliet's confidante and a source of comedy and bawdy humour. She helps the lovers but fails Juliet when she advises her to marry Paris, which leaves Juliet isolated.
Question 19
How does Shakespeare present Mercutio?
Answer:
As witty, loud and cynical about love. His Queen Mab speech and sexual jokes contrast with Romeo's romantic mood, and his death changes the tone of the play.
Question 20
What happens in Act 3 Scene 1 and why is it the turning point?
Answer:
Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt and the Prince banishes Romeo. The play changes from comedy-like romance to tragedy, and events move out of control.
Question 21
What does Mercutio mean by 'A plague o' both your houses'?
Answer:
He curses both the Montagues and the Capulets for causing his death. It shows that the feud harms everyone, not just the families involved.
Question 22
Why does Romeo say he is 'fortune's fool'?
Answer:
After killing Tybalt he feels he is a puppet of fate. It shows his belief that he has no control over events.
Question 23
How does Lord Capulet change after Tybalt's death and Juliet's refusal to marry Paris?
Answer:
At first he is a loving, protective father, but in Act 3 Scene 5 he becomes violent and tyrannical when Juliet defies him. It shows the power of patriarchal authority over daughters.
Question 24
How does Lady Capulet respond to Juliet's refusal to marry Paris?
Answer:
She coldly rejects her daughter ('I have done with thee'). This leaves Juliet without parental support and increases her isolation.
Question 25
What plan does Friar Laurence make to help Juliet?
Answer:
Juliet will take a sleeping potion to appear dead, be placed in the family tomb, and then escape with Romeo after the Friar sends him a message. The plan fails because the message is not delivered.
Question 26
Why does the Friar's message to Romeo fail?
Answer:
Friar John is held up by a quarantine because of plague and cannot deliver the letter. Chance and bad timing contribute to the disaster, which supports the theme of fate.
Question 27
How does Romeo learn that Juliet is 'dead'?
Answer:
His servant Balthasar tells him in Mantua, and Romeo, who has not received the Friar's letter, decides to die beside her. He cries 'Then I defy you, stars!'
Question 28
What does 'I defy you, stars!' show about Romeo?
Answer:
He decides to challenge fate by choosing to die with Juliet. It ironically leads him to carry out his tragic destiny.
Question 29
Where do the lovers die?
Answer:
In the Capulet tomb. Romeo takes poison after killing Paris, and Juliet wakes and stabs herself with Romeo's dagger.
Question 30
How does the play end?
Answer:
The families find their children dead and the Prince blames them. Montague and Capulet make peace and promise golden statues of Romeo and Juliet.
Question 31
Who is to blame for the tragedy?
Answer:
The play suggests many causes: the feud, fate, hasty decisions, the Friar's plan and the actions of the older generation. Students can argue for several, but the feud is the main cause.
Question 32
What is the theme of love and hate?
Answer:
Love and hate are intertwined: Romeo and Juliet's love grows out of hatred between families. Shakespeare shows love as a powerful but dangerous force when set against hate.
Question 33
How does Shakespeare present fate and fortune?
Answer:
Through references to the stars, the Prologue, omens and unlucky chances such as the plague quarantine. It is left open whether the lovers are truly doomed or victims of their own haste.
Question 34
How does Shakespeare present youth and age?
Answer:
The young lovers are passionate and impulsive while the older generation is concerned with status, duty and tradition. The older characters learn only after their children's deaths.
Question 35
How does the play show the conflict between individual and society?
Answer:
Romeo and Juliet follow their feelings against family and social expectations. The tragedy suggests that the pressures of the feud and patriarchy make their love impossible.
Question 36
What is the role of women and patriarchy in the play?
Answer:
Juliet is expected to obey her father and marry the man he chooses. Capulet treats her as property, which is part of the pressure that drives the tragedy.
Question 37
How does Shakespeare use light and dark imagery?
Answer:
Light stands for love and hope (Juliet is the sun, bright torches), while night and darkness hide the lovers and also suggest danger and death. The final scene takes place in the dark tomb.
Question 38
How does Shakespeare use oxymorons in Romeo and Juliet?
Answer:
Phrases like 'loving hate' and 'sweet sorrow' show the play's mix of love and conflict. They also reflect Romeo's confused emotions.
Question 39
How does Shakespeare use sonnets in the play?
Answer:
The Prologue and the lovers' first conversation are sonnets, a form linked with love poetry. They show the formal beauty of their love and mark key moments.
Question 40
How does Shakespeare use verse and prose in Romeo and Juliet?
Answer:
Nobles and lovers usually speak in verse. The Nurse and servants often use prose, which marks social status and a more comic, earthy tone.
Question 41
What is dramatic irony in Romeo and Juliet?
Answer:
The audience knows the lovers will die from the Prologue, so their hopes and plans are painful to watch. Juliet's line that her 'grave is like to be my wedding bed' is another example.
Question 42
What is the effect of the pace of the play?
Answer:
Most of the action takes place in about five days, and the speed makes events feel rushed and inevitable. Characters make hasty decisions that lead to disaster.
Question 43
How is Tybalt presented?
Answer:
As hot-tempered and aggressive, obsessed with honour and the feud. His anger at Romeo at the party and his killing of Mercutio drive the plot to tragedy.
Question 44
What is Paris's role in the play?
Answer:
He is the respectable suitor chosen by Capulet. He is polite and sincere but represents the arranged marriage that Juliet cannot accept, and Romeo kills him at the tomb.
Question 45
How is Benvolio presented?
Answer:
As the peacemaker and Romeo's loyal cousin. He tries to stop fights, which contrasts with Tybalt and shows another way of dealing with conflict.
Question 46
What does the setting of the tomb add to the final scene?
Answer:
It brings together death and love, and the tomb is dark, cold and silent. The setting of a family vault suggests that the feud has literally buried the next generation.
Question 47
What contextual idea about marriage is important in the play?
Answer:
In Shakespeare's time marriages were often arranged for family advantage, and daughters were expected to obey their fathers. Juliet's secret choice challenges that norm.
Question 48
What contextual idea about religion is important in the play?
Answer:
Elizabethan audiences saw suicide as a sin. The lovers' deaths would have been shocking, and the Friar's role shows the Church's role in marriage and confession.
Question 49
Why does Shakespeare end with the reconciliation of the families?
Answer:
It shows that the feud has only ended through terrible loss. The message is that hatred destroys the young and that peace comes too late.
Question 50
How does Romeo describe Juliet when he sees her at her window?
Answer:
'Juliet is the sun.' The sun imagery makes her radiant and life-giving, while the 'envious moon' is pale and sick with grief by comparison. It presents their love as light against darkness.

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