The Kids' Shakespeare Collection - Volume 1 characters

First appears in chapter 3

The young son of the Montague family, whose household is locked in a long feud with the Capulets. Impulsive and intensely romantic, he attends a Capulet celebration in disguise and falls in love with Juliet before learning who she is.

First appears in chapter 3

The young daughter of the Capulet family. Expected to accept her parents' plans for her future, she instead forms an immediate attachment to Romeo, the son of her family's enemies.

First appears in chapter 4

A Jewish moneylender in Venice who has endured insults from Antonio. When Antonio asks him for a loan, Shylock proposes an unusually severe bond as the penalty for nonpayment.

First appears in chapter 4

A wealthy and intelligent heiress of Belmont whose late father devised a test to choose her husband. Bound by its rules, she nevertheless looks for ways to exercise her own judgment and help those she loves.

Also known as Mark Antony

First appears in chapter 5

A Roman general and one of the three rulers who govern after Julius Caesar's death. His political duties pull him toward Rome, while his love for Cleopatra keeps drawing him back to Egypt.

First appears in chapter 5

The queen of Egypt, a charismatic and politically astute monarch whose relationship with Antony is both a great passion and a danger to their positions of power.

Also known as Octavius Caesar

First appears in chapter 5

Antony's fellow ruler in the Roman triumvirate. Controlled and strategically patient, he expects Antony to put Roman government before his life with Cleopatra.

First appears in chapter 6

A rich Athenian celebrated for extravagant hospitality. He gives money and gifts freely to friends and flatterers, assuming that their affection will prove equally generous if he ever needs help.

First appears in chapter 6

A blunt philosopher who distrusts wealth, ceremony, and professed friendship. He attends Timon's gatherings but refuses to flatter his host, warning that the crowd around him is drawn to his money.

Also known as King of Navarre

First appears in chapter 11

The young king of Navarre, who persuades three companions to join him in years of study and to avoid romantic entanglements. The arrival of a diplomatic party led by the Princess of France immediately tests the promise.

First appears in chapter 11

A French princess who comes to Navarre on official business with three ladies. Intelligent and composed, she keeps the king to the terms of his own restrictions while recognizing the attraction growing between the two groups.

Also known as Kate

First appears in chapter 12

The elder daughter of Baptista Minola. Sharp-tongued and openly resistant to the marriage expected of her, she refuses to make herself agreeable merely to satisfy her father or her suitors.

First appears in chapter 12

A confident gentleman who arrives in Padua intending to marry a wealthy woman. Undeterred by reports of Katherina's temper, he treats their courtship as a contest he fully expects to control.

First appears in chapter 13

A respected Venetian general who has secretly married Desdemona. He is sent to defend Cyprus and relies on the apparent honesty of the officers serving under him.

First appears in chapter 13

Othello's ensign, angered that Cassio received a promotion he wanted. He conceals his resentment behind a reputation for honesty while beginning to manipulate the people around Othello.

First appears in chapter 13

The daughter of a Venetian senator and Othello's new wife. She has chosen the marriage freely and follows Othello to Cyprus, confident in their love despite her father's opposition.