The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet · 23 speeches across 5 scenes
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A noble suitor, kinsman to the Prince, who seeks Juliet’s hand in marriage.
Who they are
Paris represents the socially acceptable match for Juliet—the man her father chooses. He is courteous, conventional, and unaware of Juliet’s secret marriage to Romeo. His arc moves from confident suitor to grieving fiancé, culminating in his fatal confrontation with Romeo at the Capulet tomb.
Playing them
Play Paris with earnest dignity, not arrogance. His language is formal and restrained, suggesting a man who respects propriety above passion. In the tomb scene, shift from grief to fierce protectiveness—he fights Romeo not out of malice but out of love for Juliet. Vocal quality should be measured, with a slight warmth breaking through in Act 4, Scene 1 when he addresses Juliet directly.
Shakespeare the way it was meant to be had — out loud
These plays were written to be performed, not silently read. Yorick is a
rehearsal app that lets you perform them: you take a part in any of Shakespeare’s
38 plays, and Yorick reads every other role aloud, listens while you speak your
lines, keeps your place, and prompts you the moment you dry.
It is built for the person who has to be off book by tech week — school and
college productions, community theatre, festivals, drama students and classical
auditions — and for anyone who wants to hear a scene rather than skim it.
Alongside the performance you get a plain-English translation of every speech,
scene context, performance notes, and the ability to ask about any line and get
an answer that already knows the play, the scene and who is speaking.
The text is the public-domain Cambridge/Globe edition. Translations and notes
are AI-generated rehearsal aids for actors and students, not a scholarly
apparatus. Yorick runs in a browser with nothing to install, and on iPhone and
Android.