Evaluate Key Characters and Their Development in 'Romeo and Juliet'

To what extent is Benvolio a peaceful character?  

How far would you agree that Mercutio is a hot-headed character?

How does Romeo change throughout the play?

Who is most to blame for the deaths in the play?

In the literature exam, you may be asked to write about how a particular character is presented in an extract from 'Romeo and Juliet'.

You will also need to know the play well enough to write about how a character is presented in the play as a whole.

To achieve the highest marks in your exam response, you will need to offer a personal and perceptive interpretation.

This means that you need to:

- ask questions of the characters

- think about all of the different ways we might view them - positive and negative

- think about whether they change throughout the play

- try to evaluate how far we can say they possess a particular characteristic

Remember that you will also need to show a close analysis of the writer's techniques in presenting a particular character and relate your ideas to the key contextual factors surrounding the play.

In this activity, we will practise evaluating characters in this way and will consider their presentation in different parts of the play.

You should always refer to your own text when working through these examples. These quotations are for reference only.