The house of Montague
The Romeo and Juliet family tree begins with a grudge, not a marriage. The Prologue calls the Montagues and the Capulets “two households, both alike in dignity” whose “ancient grudge” breaks out again in the streets of Verona.1 In the first scene the Prince stops a third brawl between them and puts both old men under pain of death.2
Montague and Lady Montague have one child, Romeo, whom the Prince calls Montague’s “son and heir”.12 Benvolio is Montague’s nephew, and the play never names his parent, so the chart joins him to his uncle by a dotted line of kinship.2 In the last scene Montague reports that his wife has died of grief at Romeo’s exile, and the Romeo and Juliet family tree marks her death in Act V.12
RomeoOnly son of Montague.
JulietOnly child of Capulet.
The NurseJuliet’s nurse.
Friar LawrenceMarries the lovers in secret.
The Capulets, Tybalt and the Nurse
Capulet and Lady Capulet have one living child. Capulet tells Paris that “the earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she”, and Juliet is not yet fourteen.34 She is the only heir of the house.
Tybalt is the nephew of Lady Capulet. When he dies she cries “Tybalt, my cousin! O my brother’s child!”, so he is Juliet’s first cousin.8 The Romeo and Juliet family tree hangs him from his aunt by a line of kinship. At the feast Capulet also greets an old cousin of his own.5
The Nurse belongs to the household. She nursed Juliet, and in Act II she carries Romeo’s message about the wedding.46 In Act III she advises Juliet to marry Paris, and Juliet stops confiding in her.10 The Nurse had a daughter of her own, Susan, of the same age as Juliet, who has since died. Lady Capulet tells Juliet that she herself was a mother at about Juliet’s age.4
The Prince, Mercutio and Paris
Prince Escalus rules Verona, and the cast list names two of his kinsmen, Mercutio, the friend of Romeo, and Count Paris, the suitor of Juliet.2 Romeo calls Paris “Mercutio’s kinsman” at the tomb.12
When Mercutio dies, the Prince says his own blood lies bleeding and exiles Romeo.8 At the end he has “lost a brace of kinsmen”.12 On the Romeo and Juliet family tree his house loses both its young men, as the two families lose their children.
The Romeo and Juliet family tree act by act
Each card names the changes and deaths of one act.
Act I
A suitor and a feast
Spoiler note. The lovers meet.
- Romeo goes masked to the Capulet feast, Tybalt knows his voice, and each lover learns the other’s name.
Act II
The secret marriage
Spoiler note. Romeo and Juliet marry.
- Friar Lawrence marries them in his cell, hoping the match will end the feud.
Sources7
Act III
Two deaths and an exile
Spoiler note. Mercutio and Tybalt die.
- Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt, and the Prince banishes Romeo.
- Capulet promises Juliet to Paris for Thursday and threatens to turn her out when she refuses.
Act IV
The potion
Spoiler note. Juliet seems to die.
- Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a drug that will make her seem dead for two and forty hours.
Sources11
Act V
The tomb
Spoiler note. The ending is told in full.
- Romeo kills Paris at the tomb and takes poison, and Juliet wakes and stabs herself.
- Lady Montague has died of grief, and the two fathers take hands over their children.
Sources12
How to read this Romeo and Juliet family tree
A square is a man and a circle is a woman. A double line is a marriage and a dashed line is an engagement. On this Romeo and Juliet family tree Juliet has a marriage line to Romeo from Act II and an engagement line to Paris from Act III.
The line between the two fathers turns from enemies to allies only in the final scene. Capulet calls Montague brother and takes his hand as the only jointure he can ask for his daughter. Montague promises a statue of Juliet in pure gold, and Capulet one of Romeo as rich.12
To build a Romeo and Juliet family tree of your own, open this chart in the editor or start from the story charts. The notation is set out in the genogram symbols.
Everyone on the Romeo and Juliet family tree
| Portrait | Person | In the story | Life | On the chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | MontagueHead of the house of Montague | Acts I to V | Father of Romeo. | |
| LM | Lady MontagueWife of Montague | Dies in Act V | She dies of grief at Romeo’s exile. Sources12 | |
| RomeoSon of Montague | Dies in Act V | He takes poison in the tomb. | |
| B | BenvolioNephew of Montague | Acts I to III | Romeo’s cousin and friend. | |
| C | CapuletHead of the house of Capulet | Acts I to V | He promises Juliet to Paris. | |
| LC | Lady CapuletWife of Capulet | Acts I to V | Mother of Juliet and aunt of Tybalt. | |
| JulietDaughter of Capulet | Dies in Act V | She stabs herself in the tomb. | |
 | TybaltNephew of Lady Capulet | Dies in Act III | He kills Mercutio and is killed by Romeo. Sources8 | |
| OC | Old CapuletCousin of Capulet | Act I | He talks with Capulet at the feast. Sources5 | |
| The NurseNurse to Juliet | Acts I to V | She carries the lovers’ messages. | |
 | Prince EscalusPrince of Verona | Acts I to V | He banishes Romeo and loses two kinsmen. | |
 | MercutioKinsman of the Prince | Dies in Act III | Romeo’s friend, killed by Tybalt. Sources8 | |
 | Count ParisKinsman of the Prince | Dies in Act V | Killed by Romeo at the tomb. | |
| Friar LawrenceA Franciscan | Acts II to V | He marries the lovers. |
Questions about the Romeo and Juliet family tree
Who is in the Romeo and Juliet family tree
The Montagues with Romeo and Benvolio, the Capulets with Juliet, Tybalt and the Nurse, and Prince Escalus with his kinsmen Mercutio and Paris.
How is Tybalt related to Juliet
Tybalt is the son of Lady Capulet’s brother, which makes him Juliet’s first cousin.8
People and sources
A page of its own lists the 13 numbered sources this article cites. It also gives the credits of the pictures and this page as a reference in the APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard styles, ready to copy.